Cinderelia
by Iluy
Summary: In the first annual celebration of the Dawn Break, a love blooms between the King of Lucis and a commoner. A story based on the fairytale.
1. The Invitation

This was supposed to be a one-shot fluffy fairytale, but My Hand Slipped™ and it became multi-chapter slow burn romance. And I'm totally okay with that.

The Cinderella of the story is specified by name only for the ease of writing and reading. I tried to keep from specifying her hair, eye or skin color and body type etc., so this story might as well be treated as Reader x King!Noctis in third person, if that makes any sense.

Just imagine yourself as the princess here~

* * *

 _By Royal Invitation_

 _The honor of Your presence is requested in the annual celebration of the Dawn Break_

 _at the Citadel of Insomnia on Friday, 14th, Saturday, 15th and Sunday, 16th July at 8.00 p.m._

Evelia watched in disgust as her stepsisters, Drisella and Anastasia, fought over whose turn it was to hold the royal invitation in her hand.

"Word is that the King is going to choose a bride in the ball!" Drisella chided in excitement and snatched the piece of thick, embossed paper from her sister's unnaturally long fingers.

"Really?" Anastasia chirped, "Well it _has_ been over ten years since the Oracle kicked the bucket! Poor King, losing his fiancé in such a horrible manner…"

"Imagine if I was to become the queen of Lucis!" Drisella squeaked excitedly and feigned a swooning motion.

"Imagine if I was!" The two sisters giggled in delight.

Evelia took another glance at their rejoicing, before her eyes fell back on the mirror she was wiping clean. After the mirrors and windows in the house, she would still have to clean and organize the food cabinets. Then, she would be done for the day and would finally have some time for herself. The thought was uplifting. Maybe she could go for a walk or read a book in peace.

Drisella and Anastasia strutted past Evelia. The royal invitation was tightly pinched between Drisella's fingers.

"You missed a spot," Anastasia said and spat on the mirror. "Oops, looks like I missed!" They cackled manically as Evelia's shoulders slumped and the corners of her mouth dropped.

It had been a year since the Chosen King of Lucis had conquered the darkness and brought the dawn back. Insomnia was flourishing. Rebuilding the city was still in progress, but every day more and more former refugees moved back into the city. People were opening new practices and starting businesses, and the center of trade in Eos was slowly tipping from Lestallum to Insomnia.

Evelia and her father had been amongst the first ones to pack up their small belongings in Leide and move back into the wrecked city. Her father had been a doctor. It had been an honor for him to help the people of new Insomnia with his medical skills. He had run his own clinic in the city and business had bloomed, even though he had always charged below the average. Evelia's days had been blessed with studying without a care in the world.

Until a short time after their move, her father had announced his intentions of marriage with a noble woman he had met at the clinic. Evelia's new stepmother had two daughters, both ill-willing and malicious creatures. Evelia had quickly learned that they had nothing in common with her but their age. And to think that at first Evelia had been excited to gain new sisters.

Things had become as bad as they could; her father had suddenly passed away, leaving his new wife to manage his funds and the profitable clinic. His last wish had been for his family to stick together during these hard times and Evelia was left hanging by the goodwill of her stepmother to not throw her on the streets. Her mind was set on finishing her medical studies one day, and starting a practice of her own, but in the ruined city, finding a willing teacher was not just hard, it was also very costly. There was no real university yet and people leaned on each other for education.

Evelia rubbed the mirror furiously with frustrated tears welling up in her eyes. Every day she debated between leaving the city for good and just accepting the way her life was now; as a servant for her stepmother and sisters.

Despite her miserable circumstances at home, Evelia was sure that someday her dreams of happiness would come true. She was not going to let her siblings discourage her. She refused to give up, no matter how hard things were sometimes. She had already been through more difficult times during the ten years of darkness.

 _They_ could not stop her from dreaming.

Evelia's mind wandered into the royal ball invitation. She would be thrilled to go, to see the King of Light with her own eyes. She had only seen him occasionally in the news and from that she could very well understand why Drisella and Anastasia had been so excited. The King was absolutely handsome.

Evelia never really kept up with recent events, but from what she had heard, King Noctis Lucis Caelum was a good ruler and well loved by his people. He had been praised by his decisive and swift take on handling the matters of his kingdom, but he also listened to his people. When the new Council had been appointed some months ago, it was a real feat how the King had kept the political bickering to a bare minimum, urging his advisors to keep the people's best interests first. Things were really looking up for Insomnia.

A furry flash of grey dashed past Evelia, the motion making her turn.

"Oh, Lucifer, you're not after another mouse, are you? I might need to check the traps…"

The fat cat positioned himself behind the couch, chin on the floor, eyes fixated under the piece of furniture.

Evelia frowned and shooed the cat away from stalking any potential living beings hiding under the couch. If there would be any mice in the traps that she had set in the basement, she would have to make another walk to the park near the wall surrounding Insomnia to set them free. Her stepmother had given clear instructions that any rodents found in the house were to be killed on sight, and Lucifer had taken the instructions to heart.

Days passed and turned into weeks. Drisella and Anastasia were all about the ball. It was the only topic that was talked about in the house as the July 15th drew closer.

The day the celebration of the Dawn Break at the Citadel would finally begin, Evelia walked to work half an hour early. She just couldn't stand to stay at home, even though her half-sisters were still asleep like they would be most likely until midday.

Last few weeks had been ever more horrible than usually. Evelia had had to run all over the city to fetch things for her sisters for the ball and help them try on the most beautiful gowns and jewelry she had ever laid her eyes on. Evelia had not discussed her participation in the festivities with her stepmother. She knew she would not be allowed to join, but shook the thought away, reminding herself to stay positive.

Evelia went through and organized everything behind the counter; thought there wasn't much to do because she had done the same thing before leaving work the day before. It was five minutes until opening time, when her co-worker Caitlin barged through the front door. Evelia lifted her gaze when she heard the doorbell jingle.

"Hey Cait," she greeted her co-worker.

"Morning, Eve. Sorry I'm late again," Caitlin huffed taking off her coat and shoulder bag.

"It's okay, I was only just going to open up," Evelia calmed and smiled.

Until noon, the day was tediously normal. The café was half-full most of the time and lunchtime was as busy as ever. Evelia was just making a latte macchiato for a customer when the doorbell jingled again. A pair of men paced behind the line at the counter, looking at the large blackboard menu on the wall.

Evelia eyed them curiously. They were both wearing dark and modest clothing, but something made them stick out. The taller one with long hair on a ponytail was very muscular and had two long scars on his face, one on the forehead and another one along the cheek. The shorter man, who was still taller than Evelia, wore a hoodie and had his hood on, so she couldn't distinguish anything but the side profile of his nose and cheeks.

Evelia was serving the next customer in the line, when Caitlin bumped her ribs gently with her elbow.

"Are you seeing this? Two words: _Wow. Hot_ ," Caitlin whispered to Evelia and eyed hungrily the taller man.

Evelia glanced at them again as she placed the just finished coffee order on the counter.

He was definitely Caitlin's type as far as Evelia knew. This time she could see the face of the other man too. His eyes were the most amazing shade of sapphire blue and he looked somehow familiar. Evelia just quite couldn't put her finger on it.

"Remember to smile," Caitlin purred in Evelia's ear before returning to serve her customers.

Evelia plastered the most genuine smile she could muster on her face.

"Hello, what can I get for you?" she said, her gaze darting between the two men. She had to resist the urge to look away bashfully when her eyes locked with the pair of sapphire gems. How was it even possible for a man to have enchanting eyes like those?

"Hi, I'll have a double espresso to go, please," the taller man ordered, taking a glance at beaming Caitlin, who was hovering behind the counter and shooting thirsty looks at him. He flashed a smile at her, making her flush instantly.

"Uh, hey and I'd like a large cappuccino, please." The shorter man smiled hesitantly at Evelia.

Evelia bit the insides of her lips hearing the man's voice. He sounded so nice and pleasant.

"Will you have it to go too?" Evelia asked, taking the chance to study his features. He _really_ looked familiar, but from where could she have known him? They must have never met, because he didn't seem to recognize her either.

"Yeah, please."

Evelia turned to make their coffees, poking at her brain, trying to figure out who the man behind the counter was.

"This is a nice place, ain't it, Noct?" Evelia heard the taller man say to his companion.

"Yeah and it's a convenient walk away from the Citadel."

Citadel? Evelia didn't know anyone working there. Unless…

She turned to look at the two men, suddenly realizing who they were.

"Is everything okay?" the King's Shield asked her, furrowing his brows lightly at the abrupt movement.

Evelia caught herself staring at the King of Lucis when she should have been making his coffee order.

"Uh, would you like soy milk or regular in the cappuccino?" she asked hastily. Usually customers, who ordered something with milk, would define the type they would like to have without asking separately.

"Regular is fine, thanks," the King said and his hesitant smile widened into a gentle one.

Evelia nodded dumbfound and turned back to the coffee machine.

When the King and his Shield left the through the glass door with their cups, Caitlin instantly jumped next to Evelia.

"Oh by the Gods, do men like that really exist?" she heaved squeezing Evelia's arm.

"Aren't you excited," Evelia smirked at her.

"Hello? Did you see them?" Caitlin jested.

Evelia sighed, amused at Caitlin's enthusiasm and went back to serve the next customer. Yes, of course she had seen the King and his Shield visiting their small café. For the rest of the day whenever Evelia was making coffee orders, her thoughts wandered into those sapphire blue eyes and a gentle smile.

The workday was over too soon and Evelia headed home. She knew that she wouldn't be let in would she try to come home late without asking for permission to stay out first.

"Evelia dear, please clean the ash from the fireplace," her stepmother said not even looking at her when she walked through the front door.

"Mother, can we talk?" Evelia began carefully.

"Evelia, the fireplace. You can't light a fire in there if it's already full."

"Yes, of course, mother. I will fetch the dustpan now," she said and bit her lip, frantically thinking about how to phrase her words. She took a deep breath as she came back to the living room, where her stepmother was sitting on the couch, reading a book. Evelia swept the ashes from the fireplace as swiftly as she could, spilling the grey dust on her clothing in her haste.

"Mother?" Evelia began confidently.

Her stepmother let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, Evelia? Spit it out."

"Can I go to the ball tonight?" she splurted out hastily. The book closed with a loud bang.

"You? To the ball? Don't be ridiculous. The invitation was obviously meant for the noble families of Lucis."

"But I am a part of this family, aren't I?" Evelia said, gripping the dustpan with both hands. Her heart was jumping in her throat, making speaking difficult.

Her stepmother eyed her for a moment. "Very well, you can go"–Evelia's heart made a flip–" _if_ you can finish your duties for the weekend before"–and sank.

"But there's only hours before the ball, I–"

"Oh, my dear, you're breaking your mother's heart with that picketing! You have your terms, now I suggest you hurry up."

A catty fit of giggles wafted from the doorway. Drisella and Anastasia trundled into the room, still laughing at the absurd idea of their little sister going to a royal ball. Their mother flashed a derisive grin at Evelia.

"Poor Evelia. All covered in ash!" Drisella blew on the dustpan Evelia was holding. She had to close her eyes to shield them as the ash scattered all over her. Drisella and Anastasia burst out in wicked laughter.

"Cinder-Evelia! You should be named _Cinderelia_! That would suit you better!" Anastasia mocked making her sister laugh even harder.

"Poor, poor Cinderelia!" the sisters chirped maliciously in choir.

Their mother stood up from the couch, making unappreciative clicks with her tongue.

"Clean this mess up, Evelia. Girls, you should be getting ready for the royal ball. Why are you still standing there?" she said shooing her daughters away and turned to Evelia. "If there was any uncertainty on the matter; no, you can't come to the ball unless you finish your duties first."

Evelia did not know what to say. Silent tears were rolling down her cheeks as she stood still with the dustpan in her hands. Everything was so unfair. Why did they treat her like this? She had done absolutely nothing to deserve their mockery and ire. Evelia sank on her knees to the floor and while heaving heavily from the sobs of despair, she swiped the floor clean from the ash.

She went to her room to get cleaned up and rest, but was soon called to help Drisella and Anastasia get dressed.

Their evening dresses were way too exuberant for Evelia's tastes. She really didn't think that showing their decolletes so generously would catch the King's eye. He hadn't seemed like a man who would be interested in a woman based on the amount of skin she was showing.

As Evelia was putting hair spray on Anastasia's hairdo, she thought about the pair of blue eyes she had met with that day. Evelia would have happily become better acquainted with their owner. Of course, the thought was ridiculous. He was the king and she wasn't even allowed to go to the ball so she could gaze at him from afar. Still, the memory of that warm smile made her heart flutter in a way she had not ever felt before.

"Are you ready girls?" Evelia's stepmother asked appearing at the doorframe. "Oh, you look so lovely my daughters! I know one of you will make your mother very proud. And royal." The trio giggled and Evelia sneered at them in disdain.

"Bye bye, Cinderelia!" Drisella and Anastasia chirped in glee, "We'll tell you all about how handsome the King is when we get back!"

"I can't wait," Evelia muttered after they had left the room.

The otherwise empty house was silent as Evelia paced into her room. She flopped on the bed and hugged her moogle plushie. Well, there was no point in moping about the once-in-a-lifetime royal ball anymore. She wasn't going to go there and instead it would be better to just focus on the bright side – Like the fact that the house was for once, empty and peaceful.

"Looks like it's just us now, Mr. Moogle… and Lucifer somewhere, probably sleeping on mother's bed. Should we watch TV– What was that?"

A faint blue glow reflected on the window, pulsing curiously. Evelia jumped up from the bed and went to look. The garden seemed to be empty.

Evelia screamed in surprise when another blue glimpse suddenly appeared in the air. She squeezed the soft moogle toy tighter and went downstairs with careful steps. It had probably just been a light from a car or something, or maybe someone was messing with her. The kids in the neighborhood liked that sort of pranks and would howl in laughter when they saw her coming outside, all shaky.

However, when Evelia arrived in the garden, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nearby street lights were casting their soft, yellow light on the orderly flowerbeds. The large maple tree was humming gently in the light wind.

"Hello?" Evelia hooted looking around her.

"Good evening," a soft voice called out from behind her. She stifled a scream and turned quickly.

A dark haired woman in a black dress with golden ribbons around her waist stood before Evelia, smiling gently as if nothing could please her more than being there in that moment.

"Who are you?" Evelia asked. A warm aura surrounded the mystery woman, making Evelia somehow feel safe. Her grip of the stuffed moogle loosened.

"Gentiana is my name. I am a messenger," she answered. Evelia noticed her eyes were closed as she spoke.

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Gentiana," Evelia said trying to figure out what was happening. What was a messenger of the Gods doing in their garden? Because that was the only thing that the mysterious woman could be. Evelia had heard stories of them, spirits bound to the Six gods. She could not even pretend to understand why one would be approaching her.

Gentiana paced around Evelia, as if taking in her form.

"I will help you," she said.

Evelia was confused. "I didn't realize I needed help," she said with a nervous chuckle. Good thing that Mr. Moogle was with her to make her feel more confident.

"You do not wish to attend the ball?" Gentiana asked stopping.

"Oh, I would, but my stepmother wouldn't let me. And I wouldn't even have anything to wear if did. All my clothes are so worn out," Evelia said and lowered her eyes on the ground. She had been almost over the sore disappointment.

"Do not worry, young maiden. Tonight is your turn to shine," Gentiana said, and without a further explanation she lifted her hands in the air and spun her wrists around, fingers following the motion elegantly. The same kind blue-hued shine as before began swirling around her like a mist.

Evelia was about to take a step back, but the blue glow spread from Gentiana's palm and surrounded her. It spun in the air and Evelia looked when the fabrics on her shifted in shape and color. Dark grey became light, icy blue. Worn out coarse threads weaved into the lightest silk. A detailed lace spread over Evelia's shoulders, shaping short sleeves.

The gown was stunningly beautiful – It's only details the lace and a wide ribbon around Evelia's upper waist. The hem descended subtly, just barely covering the matte nude-colored heels. The back of the gown was generously, but tastefully open, revealing the forms of Evelia's shoulder blades.

"This– this is too much", Evelia breathed spinning around in the dress. Her hair was tied up with braids, decorated with pearls travelling on both sides of her scalp, and forming into a neat bun.

"In the street, you shall find a vehicle to take you," Gentiana said pleased.

Evelia was still staring at her new clothes, hands gently feeling out the hairdo.

"You shall need this too," Gentiana said and gave Evelia an invitation to the ball. She took it with shaky hands. She was speechless.

"Go now, love lost in the tide of darkness, but remember, when the new day begins its first hour, the magic will disappear," Gentiana said.

"I will. Thank you," Evelia said and hurried to the car. No matter the time, midnight would come too soon for her.

"The king of kings deserves happiness, may you bestow it upon him," Gentiana said in the empty garden and disappeared.


	2. The First Night

Evelia ascended the Citadel stairs holding her dress hem up. Her new heels felt comfortable, as if they were molded just for her feet, but she still walked carefully. It was well over the time set in the invitation, so the majority of the guests had already arrived to the ball. Evelia was nervous when she offered the invitation to the attendant at the door.

"Welcome, Miss. Please head in," the attendant said with an ample smile.

The grand hall of the Citadel was filled with guests in beautiful dresses and handsome suits. The evening's favorite colors seemed to be warm orange and red, making Evelia's icy blue gown very distinguishable in the crowd. As she made her way forward in the room, all eyes fell on her. She was afraid that someone would recognize her, but nobody did. Curious whispers echoed all around her, but she did not let that bother her. For the first time in a long while, Evelia felt confident. She was determined to enjoy the evening by dancing and mingling.

King Noctis Lucis Caelum stared at the stunning woman in icy blue dress, who was spinning on the dance floor. He was captivated. Her movement was so graceful; it looked as if she was gliding over the floor effortlessly. An endearing, slight blush rosied her cheeks. Her lips were colored in full red that accented perfectly the shade of her dress. King Noctis wanted to inquire this sweet creature's name.

Royal advisor Ignis Scientia cleared his throat, trying to pull His Majesty's attention back to the ongoing conversation with a noble woman. She had come to pay her respects to the King and it would obviously be extremely rude to ignore her compliments.

"Hm? Ah, the rebuilding efforts have been progressing quickly thanks to the people," Noctis said hastily to the woman before him, making Ignis let out a warning cough.

"Please, excuse me…" Noctis pleaded, ignoring Ignis's hints at asking the noble woman for a dance. He wanted to meet with the unfamiliar woman in blue dress as he saw her leaving the dance floor.

"Excuse me," Evelia said breathily to her dance partner and curtsied before making her way into the open balcony. The evening was getting darker and the cool air felt refreshing on her skin. She fanned her face with her hands and smiled to the sky where the stars were beginning to light up. She was in a royal ball and nothing else could've made her happier.

"Good evening," a vaguely familiar voice said gently from behind Evelia.

She turned to look and was baffled to lock eyes with the King of Lucis. The sapphire blue pair had a curious look in them as he walked closer. Evelia realized she should at least curtsey.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," she said, still a tad out of breath and swallowed nervously. As she rose back up, she gazed at the King's features. There was no denying that he was handsome. Her earlier daydreams about becoming better acquainted with the King felt suddenly overwhelming.

"Please, call me Noctis. What is your name?" Noctis asked and stepped next to Evelia to lean his elbow on the balcony railing.

"Evelia," she answered timidly. She didn't reveal her last name because she didn't share it with the rest of her family, and because of the irrational fear that the King might not remember inviting anyone by her last name.

Noctis searched Evelia's eyes, which were filled with wonder. "That's a lovely name, Evelia."

Hearing her name from the King's lips made a tender feeling flourish inside her stomach and it obviously showed on her face as a sweet blush, because suddenly the smile on Noctis's face widened.

"What's wrong?" he asked amused.

"Nothing. It's just such a nice evening," Evelia said feeling the blush heating her earlobes.

"It would be even nicer if you'd dance with me," Noctis said offering his hand.

Evelia glanced at it with wide eyes.

"Oh. Of course, Your Majesty, but may I have moment to catch my breath first? I'm still stunned by your company." She laid her fingers on his open palm and felt an electric tremble travel through her body.

Noctis felt the same feeling rush through him and it made his heart skip a beat.

"By all means. Let me keep you company until then," he said and pulled Evelia's hand to lay a kiss on it, "And please, you must call me Noctis."

Evelia bit her lower lip and couldn't hide her dotty smile at the light touch of the King's lips on the back of her hand. "Noctis," she repeated quietly.

"How do you find the party so far?" Noctis asked letting go of Evelia's hand.

"Oh, it's quite lovely," she replied turning to look over the city, "What do you think of it?"

"Formal parties are usually so dull," Noctis said making Evelia take a sideways glance at him, "But I hope tonight will be an exception."

Evelia felt like melting under the King's soft gaze. Her heart was beating rapidly with no intention of letting her catch her breath.

"Are you feeling well?" Noctis asked worried when Evelia's eyes fell on the balcony floor.

Out of habit, she tried to swipe loose hair strands behind her ear, but her hairdo was still perfectly intact with no orphaned strands floating around her.

"I am just… overwhelmed," Evelia said giving an assuring smile to Noctis, who let out a chuckle at her words.

"Please, there's no need to be, lest I would have to leave your company. That would make me… very sad," he remarked with a light smile.

Evelia's blush deepened and she made a vain effort to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles on her dress. The fabric was in flawless shape.

"So what do you do in the city?" Noctis asked, trying to make light conversation.

Evelia cleared her throat. "I'm a medical student; hopefully I'll become a doctor one day so I can help those in need." She hoped that the King wouldn't ask her to elaborate on the subject.

"Oh, that is an admirable goal and one that Insomnia really needs," Noctis said surprised. Still, he thought that Evelia's gentle appearance made perfect justice for the gentleness of her soul.

"Yes, I hope to do something that matters," Evelia said and suddenly gaining excitement in her tone, asked: "What is it like to be a King? Sorry, it's a bit silly, but if you don't mind me asking."

Noctis chuckled at her question and turned to gaze over the city – His city.

"Honestly? It's full of duties I had no idea a King would have to see to."

Evelia giggled at his exasperated tone, making Noctis lift his eyebrows at her, amused at her amusement. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty! I just came to realize how, uh, young you are," she explained.

"Yes, well, I still have a lot to learn," Noctis said with a smirk.

"Oh no, I apologize. You are a good king, Noctis," Evelia hurried to say and felt anxious with the worry of insulting him unintentionally.

"Don't worry about it, Evelia. Still, you could help me with one thing," Noctis said mysteriously. He leapt at the chance of using Evelia's name after hearing his own slip from her lips. It made his heart increase its pace.

"Of course, whatever you wish," Evelia said and curtsied.

Noctis reached out his hand again. Evelia stared at it in question.

"If you're feeling better now, it would do me a world of good to put my dance-practice in use. May I have this dance?" Noctis asked with an alluring smirk.

Evelia bit her lip and placed her shaky palm on his. Again a warm feeling flushed through their bodies at the touch. Noctis escorted Evelia to the dance floor. Guests gave a wide way for them, staring and whispering amongst themselves.

Ignis sensed the change in the room atmosphere.

"What is happening?" he leaned to ask from Prompto Argentum, the King's best friend. He, despite his tries, had been pulled in to take part in state matters in addition to his work at the Crownsguard.

"Uh, Noctis is _dancing_ with someone," Prompto replied incredulously.

"He is? Well, that is good news," Ignis sighed. He would have very much liked to see the person Noctis had finally give his favors to. He nudged his visors upwards out of old habit; he had had glasses prior to his blindness. "Describe them to me, please."

Prompto gawked at the pair swinging elegantly at the dance floor.

"She is very pretty," he said.

"Do you know her?" Ignis asked, turning his head to hear Prompto better over the music and chatter.

"I don't think so. Never seen her before," Prompto replied. He lightly tugged Ignis's arm to lead them over to a place with a better view.

"How does His Majesty seem?" Ignis asked as they paced slowly.

"Uh, Noct looks really… smiley. I don't think I've seen him beam like that after he became the King."

Ignis smirked at Prompto's remark. "The group dances should begin soon. Do me a favor and go dance with her, Prompto," Ignis said.

"Huh? Why me? Why won't you?" Prompto was surprised.

"I might later, but I trust your intuition."

Prompto's shoulders slumped a little, the motion making Ignis smile. He thought he wouldn't be forced to dance. "Fine. I'll do it for Noct."

When the song ended, it was time to switch for group dances. Ignis had made sure that his friends wouldn't embarrass themselves at the ball and had made them practice vigorously for weeks. Prompto navigated to the dance floor and walked up to Noctis and Evelia.

"Hey, uh, Your Majesty," he said with a smirk and a bow. He laid his eyes on Evelia instantly, who in turn looked puzzled at Noctis.

"Oh, hey. Evelia, this is my good friend Prompto," Noctis introduced. He had just let go of Evelia's hand and his skin was still tingling and heart beating loudly from the intensity of their dance.

"Nice to meet you," Evelia said and curtsied. She eyed Prompto's blonde hair curiously and wanted to ask how he managed to have it defy gravity so well.

"Prompto, this is Evelia," Noctis said and a beaming smile snuck on his lips. He could hardly hide it from Prompto.

"Nice to meet you too," Prompto said with a slight bow.

The music began again, and all eyes fell on the King, waiting for him to start the dance. People were settling in their places around on the dance floor.

"Shall we then?" Noctis said, taking the dancing stance. Prompto and Evelia settled on opposite of him.

Evelia and Noctis kept their gazed locked for most of the song; Prompto was watching them from the corner of his eyes and a smile creeped on his face too. It had been too long since he had seen his friend genuinely happy. If Evelia's company made him forget about his heavy duties for just a few nights, Prompto would make everything in his power to make sure they weren't interrupted.

When the first song ended, it was time to switch places. The next dance was the kind where one would constantly switch pairs. Prompto bowed and offered his hand for Evelia. Noctis shot a sideways glance at him before turning his attention to his first pair. The lady next to the King seemed overjoyed to be finally noticed by him.

"I hope you're planning on coming tomorrow and the day after too," Prompto said to Evelia as they swung in rhythm to the music.

"I do hope so," Evelia replied with a kind smile. She tried very hard to keep her eyes from wandering to Noctis.

"Are you a remigrant?" Prompto asked.

"Yes," Evelia said curtly and snapped her gaze back to Prompto, "I moved back with my father after the dawn broke."

They spun around, and it came the time to switch pairs. Evelia was met with Noctis's warm smile as his hand placed on her waist.

"Hello again," he said, eyes glinting in earnest joy.

"Majesty," Evelia said. After a moment apart it had become very evident that she longed for Noctis's company. The thought was so uncharacteristically selfish that it made her jolt on the inside.

They twirled around again and again, gazed locked in silence, just enjoying the spur of the moment.

After one more song, Evelia's cheeks were again burning up. She excused herself to take a break and breathe some fresh air at the balcony.

Noctis and Prompto looked after her. Prompto nudged Noctis's ribs with his elbow and grinned. Noctis chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"She seems nice – And pretty," Prompto chided as they walked over to grab something to drink.

"She is," Noctis mumbled, earning another grin from his best friend.

Prompto poured some punch for them and passed a glass to Noctis. "Don't mess this up. I'd hate to see you pine after her in vain."

Noctis groaned at his words. "Please. I'll just go after her now."

"Don't forget to bring her a drink after the exhausting dance," Prompto reminded with a grin.

"Nice. You're being helpful for a change," Noctis laughed and proceeded to pour another glass for Evelia.

"I don't what you're talking about."

Noctis rolled his eyes at the ceiling and left Prompto grinning after him. He carried the punch glass to the same balcony where he had first met Evelia. His heart was thumping loud and fast, and he tried willing it to calm down. Wild, hopeful thoughts were already passing through his mind.

Ignis had made it quite clear that Noctis should seriously begin thinking about settling down. The kingdom needed an heir, and up until now, the thought had made Noctis only grimace. As it turned out, he had just not met anyone interesting enough to catch his eye before this night.

Noctis took a deep breath before entering the balcony. Evelia stood there, fanning her face with her delicate hand, looking at the stars – The setting was already familiar to him from earlier, but Noctis had to stop to take in her form. Against the lit up city view, she looked stunning. A light red was still lacing her cheeks along with a graceful and happy smile.

Noctis cleared his throat, making Evelia turn to look.

"I thought you might want something to drink," Noctis said with a shaky voice. Was he really nervous just because Prompto had told him not to muck it up? He had felt just fine earlier, before their dance.

"Oh, yes. Thank you," Evelia said. Their fingers brushed together when she reached out to take the glass, inciting a warm flush through their bodies.

They sipped from their glasses, looking over at the city view and the starry night sky.

"Do you enjoy watching the stars, Noctis?" Evelia asked gazing at the sky.

"I do, they're beautiful, but…" Noctis said slowly.

"But what?" Evelia turned to look at the King.

"They pale in comparison to you." Noctis said.

Evelia turned in astonishment to see him looking at her. His alabaster skin was smooth and an almost exuberant glint lit his eyes. His lips were curled into a tiny, almost experimental smile. In that moment Noctis was very pleased that Evelia could not hear how loudly his heart was beating inside his chest.

"You're too kind," Evelia said in almost a whisper and blushed heavily.

Noctis placed his glass on the balcony railing and turned so that his body was fully facing her.

"Let me give something for you," he said and pushed his palms together in between them.

Evelia blinked curiously and laid her glass away too. A soft, familiar blue glow emanated from between Noctis's joint hands as he slowly drew them apart.

Evelia watched in wonder when Noctis curled his fingers, as if pulling something out of his palm. She realized that something was forming on his hand from the twirling, cold mists.

Noctis tugged gently and uncovered his palm. On it laid a rose-like flower with lush petals. It was made of ice. He offered it to Evelia, who touched it with trembling fingers. It was surprisingly warm to touch, though still chilled.

"It will melt at dawn, but please take it," Noctis said with an encouraging smile, "Or may I?"

"Hm? Sure," Eve said wondering what he was about to do.

Very carefully Noctis laid the ice flower on the root of her hair bun, and with a hint of blue mist it stayed in place as the most delicate decoration.

"Thank you, Noctis. How does it look?" Evelia swayed in place to let Noctis see the flower from different angles.

"Breathtaking," Noctis said eyes locked into hers instead of the flower.

Evelia had to lower her gaze to the floor as the King's intense look felt overwhelming. Her heart felt as if it would burst any second. Nervously, she dandled her dress hem to have something to do with her hands.

A voice carried over from inside the ballroom, informing the guests that the evening's last song would begin shortly.

Evelia tilted her face up in slight panic. It was almost midnight already and she would have to leave before her attire would melt into her worn-out casual clothes.

"What is it?" Noctis asked quickly.

"I enjoyed tonight immensely, Noctis," Evelia said taking a deep breath, "but I must take my leave now."

Noctis frowned in dismay. Had he been too forthcoming with the flower?

"I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself. I hope you will come tomorrow? I'd… like that," he said hesitantly.

"I do hope so too," Evelia said quietly and blushed. Her voice had a hasty undertone, which made Noctis wonder even more why she had to suddenly leave. At least she would try to come on the next evening too.

"Good night then, Evelia," Noctis said, trying to trace a hint of regret, repulsion or anything in Evelia's expression to let him know that something was wrong. But he could see nothing, but genuine joy in her warm gaze before she curtsied wishing her farewells and hurried away past the dance floor.

Noctis stayed on the balcony, suddenly feeling exhausted. He did not wish to socialize any more that evening as he wanted to be left in his day dreams, filled with Evelia's wondrous eyes, her gentle smile and her soothing touch.

Prompto walked past the balcony entrance, stopping and turning on his heels when he finally found the King.

"There you are!" he said happily, "I saw Evelia leave already. Did something happen?"

"What–? Uh, no. I guess she was exhausted and wanted to retire for the night," Noctis said, his mind still twirling around Evelia's beauty.

"Oh, okay. Will she come tomorrow?" Prompto asked, stepping to lean on the balcony railing.

A smile spread on Noctis's lips. "I think so."


	3. The Second Night

Before the first rays of Saturday's dawn peaked through the window glass, Evelia woke up. The ice flower from King Noctis rested on her nightstand, still untouched by the melting light. Evelia turned on her stomach and leaned her cheek on her hands, watching as the ray of sun creeped closer and closer on the floor.

Calm and quiet minutes passed as the light climbed up the nightstand leg, the ray finally reaching the even table surface.

Evelia gasped in delight when the beam of light sprinkled thousands of curve-shaped reflections on the room walls and interior, utilizing every color of the spectrum. The lightshow lasted for only a moment as the flower began rapidly melting from the sun's warmth.

It did not leave a pool of water behind. Instead, on the nightstand rested a tiny version of the same flower with a small silver circle attached to it.

Evelia reached out to gently pick up the piece of jewelry. At first her heart had jumped when she had mistaken the piece as a ring, but it was obviously meant to be stringed into a chain to become a necklace. She blinked in wonder and stared at the flower. Had she just received a gift from the King? How could she ever thank him enough? Did he expect her to wear it to the ball that evening?

She certainly would, if only she could find a suitable chain for it.

Evelia hid the piece of jewelry in her nightstand drawer and dragged her feet downstairs for a lonely breakfast. The previous evening's memories brought comfort in her solace, and the temporary peace and quiet did not seem so bad. Evelia would have some time for herself to daydream, before having to begin the day's chores.

Anastasia and Drisella got up late as per usual, but they would still have more than enough time to complain about the mysterious woman who had stolen the King's attention wholly for the first ball evening. Though the only thing they actually complained about was that nobody else had had any chance to spend time with him. Even the sisters could not deny that the woman in icy blue gown had been absolutely beautiful.

Evelia was cleaning the kitchen after her half-sister's breakfast. She hummed quietly to herself, remembering the dancing tunes from the ball and lightly swaying from side to side. She wanted to go admire the flower resting inside her nightstand drawer upstairs.

Noctis's smile kept popping on her mind. The memory of his voice and touch made her heart ache in most novel of ways. Evelia had never before felt anything like that. It was a tender feeling, coiling inside her and making her sigh. It made her understand why romantic literature always talked about butterflies in stomach.

The evening could not arrive soon enough.

For the whole day, Anastasia and Drisella were chirping about their new dresses and the upcoming evening. Evelia tried her best to avoid her half-sisters, but it was nigh impossible as they kept calling on her to help with the most menial tasks.

Evelia had to help them to brush and attach curlers in their hair. She constantly had to spin around to the kitchen to grab something to snack or drink for them. She also had to look at them try out their dresses, and she had to make some last minute adjustments to them by sewing as fast as she could.

"Tonight, I shall not let the King from my eyes!" Anastasia remarked pompously and spun around in her bright pink gown. It had way too many ribbons for Evelia's tastes and staring at the color made her eyes hurt.

"He won't be able to rip his eyes off you with that dress!" Drisella chimed with admiration.

Evelia rolled her eyes. For her bad luck, Anastasia saw that through the tall mirror.

"Well, what do you think, Evelia? How do I look?" she asked in an icy tone.

"You look lovely, Anastasia. The dress is very–, um…" but Evelia could not find any positive words of believable praise.

Anastasia narrowed her eyes and Drisella set her hands on her hips. They stared maliciously at Evelia like two hungry coeurls about to pounce.

"What a relief that mother won't let you come to the ball as you would only embarrass yourself and everyone else," Drisella said poisonously.

"Yes and what would you even wear? Preferably something grey, fitful to your name: Cinderelia!" Anastasia continued. The sisters burst into a cruel cackle.

Evelia frowned and pushed her lips into a thin line. Deep down she reminded herself that their hurtful words would not be able to change the previous evening's events. Evelia turned to leave Anastasia's room.

"Don't forget to clean the ashes from the fireplace, Cinderelia!" Drisella shouted after her.

"It should give you a nice flair of color too!" Anastasia mocked and they snickered together.

Evelia escaped into her room. Her room door did not have a lock, but she had a chair she sometimes pushed under the handle in case someone would try to barge in when she wanted to be alone. Just once her stepmother had tried the handle and Evelia was fortunate enough that she had bought the lie of the handle being broken.

Evelia sat on the edge of her bed and cautiously opened the nightstand drawer. She took the tiny ice flower and placed it on her palm. It glinted softly in the sun light, making all the hurtful words from her stepsisters pale from her mind.

A giddy smile played on Evelia's face and she had to place the jewelry down and nuzzle her face in her pillow. The flower was so pretty. The King was so handsome and nice and attentive towards her.

Evelia had to take a deep breath to calm down.

What if the King would spend this second evening with someone else? Evelia had to be prepared for that. She had already gotten one evening of pretending to be a princess and it would be greedy to assume another one would follow. Maybe Gentiana would not show up anymore? That would be a preferable case in contrast to having to see the King with someone else.

Evelia's cheeks burned with her thoughts. She shook her head in a silly way to get rid of the overthinking. Insecurity would get her nowhere.

Slow hours passed in the house with Anastasia, Drisella and their mother darting from room to room in search of accessories and make-up. Evelia was quite pleased that they let her stay in her room and only listen to the snappy arguments and hurry ups though the door. Trying to dress so that the King's attention would be pulled to them, really kept them busy for hours before they would have to depart for the ball and it suited Evelia just fine.

A knock on the door roused Evelia from the book she had been reading, or at least trying to read. She was too nervous to catch any of the words and her eyes kept darting to the clock on the wall.

"Evelia? We are leaving now," her stepmother said, not even bothering to open the door.

"Have a nice evening, mother," Evelia wished trying to sound somber.

Apparently her display was credible enough as she heard the pair of high heels walk away to downstairs. Evelia waited and listened, her heart barely daring to beat to not make a single sound. The front door opened, three pairs of heels strutted giggling through it and slammed it closed after them.

Instantly Evelia was on her feet and she threw the book on her bed.

She paced cautiously to the garden, the small flower hidden in her fist.

"Hello?" she hooted looking around. The terrible thought of Gentiana not appearing was nagging at her mind. The garden was silent otherwise, but the maple tree leaves were swinging and humming softly in the wind that suddenly felt chill against Evelia's skin. She embraced her arms in an attempt at warming up.

Gentiana's form appeared from behind the tree. Her skin and clothes were icy blue for just a second before colors returned to her.

Evelia stared at the spirit in awe and relief. It seemed as if she had been travelling on cold winds, gliding through the air.

"Good evening, Evelia," Gentiana said, sounding most pleased at Evelia's presence.

"To you as well," Evelia said. She stood still in the middle of the garden as Gentiana walked slowly to her.

"How did you find the festivities?" Gentiana asked, a small smile gracing her lips.

Evelia's face lit up in a brimming smile. "It was lovely! The grand ballroom was incredible and people were wearing such wonderful evening gowns. I had so much fun dancing."

"And how did you find the King?" Gentiana asked in a mysterious tone.

Evelia blushed. "He was–, he is… so gentle and handsome. He gave me more of his attention that I could ever deserve or even dream of."

Gentiana nodded pleased.

"Let us hope he stays on the same course tonight. Are you ready to depart?"

"Yes."

Evelia was excited but nervous when Gentiana's blue mist surrounded her once again. Her dirty sweatpants melted into a mermaid hem, snugging her thighs, but widening from below the knees. Her loose shirt formed up the gown's slinky top with see-through butterfly sleeves. The flower necklace settled against the skin of her neck.

Evelia felt _dashing_ in the turquoise gown. It was skin-tight, bringing out her form and curves. Her hair was hanging in loose curls on her back.

Gentiana admired her handiwork with a smile. Her eyes lingered on Evelia's necklace.

"How will I dance in this?" Evelia asked taking a spin around. She could barely contain her beam and realized that she couldn't wait until the King would see her in that dress.

"The second evening is filled with wonders to look at. Let us hope that you will be the only wonder the King's eyes wish to see," Gentiana said.

"Thank you," Evelia said. She briefly squeezed Gentiana's ice cold hand, before hurrying to the car.

At the same time, King Noctis was anxiously staring at the Citadel front door, absent-mindedly welcoming the guests. His heart skipped a beat every time someone with the same hair color as Evelia walked in, only to settle back into an impatient rhythm.

Drisella, Anastasia and their mother greeted the King with lavish smiles and coquetry. To their dismay, Noctis barely seemed to look at them. Gladiolus had to clear his throat and give the mother a meaningful look to make them move onward.

"We should go take our seats. The performance starts in ten minutes," Gladiolus leaned in to whisper to Noctis.

Noctis nodded and took one last longing look at the empty entrance.

Evelia climbed cautiously the Citadel stairs that wore a red carpet. She was undeniably a little late again, thanks to her half-sisters' dallying at home before leaving.

Inside Evelia's breath was taken away. The grand hall had been modified into a theatre. Hundreds of seats were laid in an arch before the stage. On one side of the room there were boxes mounted on the wall for the most important guests. Evelia looked around in wonder as she walked further in.

"Oh wow. Hey isn't that her?" Prompto said nodding downwards. Noctis eagerly shot up from his chair to look.

His eyes widened and his breath hitched.

Evelia was gliding forward in one of the aisles below him, looking absolutely stunning in her skin-tight mermaid gown. A gracious, but a little lost smile on her lips as she was trying to find a vacant seat.

Prompto grinned and bumped Noctis's shoulder with his fist.

"Want me to go fetch her here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, but the performance is just about to begin. You might have to wait until the break," Ignis intervened leaning forward from his seat.

Noctis took one final gaze at Evelia, who was now seated in the middle row and backed down to take his seat. For the whole first showing, Noctis was anxiously thinking about what to say to Evelia. He would want to be left alone with her, though most likely Ignis would not allow that.

As enjoyable as the performance was, it could not pass fast enough for Noctis. His eyes never stared into one place for long, darting between the actors on stage and Evelia's profile. Concentrating was hard and thoughts were ramming wildly through his mind. Every reaction from the crowd would pull his attention back to the play, but soon after it would drift back to Evelia.

The first showing ended in loud applauds. It had been a light play about the vacant days of the Six Gods, making the party guests snicker and giggle.

Evelia's cheeks were already hurting from the laughing and she felt the room air getting warmer. She stood up to leave in search for some refreshment.

"Excuse me, miss?" Prompto said after clearing his throat.

"Yes?" Evelia turned to see who was speaking and her eyes lit up at the sight of a familiar face. "Oh, good evening, sir!"

"Good evening. The King has requested your company. Would you like to join him?" Prompto extended his hand for her.

Evelia smiled. "It would be my pleasure," she said placing her fingers on his palm.

Prompto led her upstairs.

Noctis was nervously sipping his drink and pacing around. Ignis was making exasperated sighs at his behavior.

Prompto opened the door for Evelia and motioned her to step in. He had the tact to leave them alone, though he knew Ignis would sit there through the evening like a stone, keeping a close ear to their chatting. He was suspicious of this person no-one seemed to know anything about, and Noctis's careless attitude irritated him to a degree.

"Your Majesty," Evelia said glancing at the King and curtsied.

Noctis inhaled sharply at the sight of her and Ignis cleared his throat. "E-Evelia, thank you for joining me."

"Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty," Evelia said.

"This is my most trusted advisor, Ignis Scientia," Noctis said and motioned towards his friend.

Ignis stood up, bowing politely. "Enchanted, My Lady."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." Eve let out a light giggle and Ignis smiled at the vivid sound. She studied his features, only then realizing that under his visors his eyes were blind white.

"Please, come and sit. The performance will continue soon with music," Noctis invited and reached his arm for Evelia. She gladly took it and he escorted her to the seats closest to the box brim. Ignis paced after them, taking a seat next to the wall.

Noctis had requested the grand orchestra from Altissia since he knew Ignis enjoyed the classical tunes with heavy piano melodies. Noctis had not said anything aloud, but Ignis knew he had done it for him and he was grateful for the thoughtful gesture. Noctis had not ever before showed an interest in classical music.

Evelia laid her hands on her lap as Noctis pulled his arm back to himself. She had felt the same dazzling electricity at his touch as in the previous night.

The orchestra begun with a beautiful piece, composed to display the new dawn. Soon Noctis was leaning his elbow on the seat arm and his cheek on his fist. He might have fallen asleep at the calm music if it wasn't for Evelia's company which made his heart race despite his calm exterior.

Evelia felt like she was being stared and tilted her head slightly to see Noctis from under her lashes. His eyes were fixated on her profile, taking in every slope and curve. Evelia turned her head fully on the side with a bemused expression.

Noctis laid his hand with palm upwards on their seats' joint arm. His eyes were looking at Evelia's with a silent, soft plea.

Evelia's gaze darted from Noctis to Ignis and back. A self-conscious smile spread on the King's lips. Evelia laid her palm gently on his and their fingers intertwined silently. They both turned their attention back to the orchestra on the stage.

After two pieces, it became immensely difficult for Evelia to focus on the music. The skin against her palm was all she could think about.

Noctis was already impatient of the sitting still. He wanted desperately to talk with the woman next to him – To see words glide enchantingly from her lips, to see her small smiles and her brows dance in motion with her speech, to say something that made a sweet blush rosy her cheeks.

Noctis was very conscious of the static touch they shared. He began rolling his thumb over Evelia's hand, making her jolt slightly and turn to flash a smile back at him. She squeezed his palm and seemed to relax.

Instead of looking at the orchestra, Noctis was now shamelessly staring at Evelia, taking in her beauty as if trying to etch it in his mind. He realized that he was ridiculously enchanted with her, almost bewitched.

"Is everything all right, Your Majesty?" Evelia whispered, leaning towards Noctis.

Noctis could see the glitter on top of her lashes. Her lips were red, not as bright as the day before, but more of a peachy shade that was in good harmony with the shade of turquoise she was wearing. Her gown was open, but not pushy or cross in any sense – Just enough to truly pique the interest of the infatuated King.

"Yes, I'm just enjoying the show," Noctis whispered, not leaving his eyes from her.

Evelia gave another squeeze at his hand and turned back to watch the orchestra, fully aware of Noctis's stare. It made a tender feeling coil inside her stomach. She truly was the only wonder the King's eyes saw in that moment.

When the second show ended, Evelia had to excuse herself to the ladies room. She almost bumped into Gladiolus Amicitia on her way.

Gladiolus entered the King's venue. He scoffed at the sight of Ignis.

"Iggy, please. Let the kids play in peace," Gladio said with a laugh. "Your date looks amazing tonight. Even better than last night," he remarked approvingly at Noctis.

"She does," Noctis agreed.

"Well, the King's advances have surely been most welcome by her," Ignis said and stood up.

Noctis blushed furiously. "What would you know about that?" he asked with red ears.

Ignis just smiled mysteriously and Gladiolus chuckled at the King's red face.

"I bet that he will blow it before the celebrations are over," Gladiolus said.

"Thanks for the vote of trust," Noctis groaned.

"Well, I just might take you on that," Ignis said moving closer, "Shall we make a wager?"

"You're on," Gladiolus said, taking Ignis's hand to shake it.

" _Really_ , guys?" Noctis said incredulously, "No pressure on anything."

"Good luck, Your Majesty," Gladiolus said and winked to Noctis who reacted with an eye-roll.

Gladiolus had to practically drag Ignis away from the room to give privacy to Noctis and Evelia when she came back.

"Oh," was all Evelia could say when she realized that Ignis was gone. Her heart began beating faster. She was alone with the King now.

"Want something to drink or eat?" Noctis asked gesturing towards the full buffet table. He had been so nervous that he had not been able to eat for the whole evening.

"Yes, please." Evelia walked up to the table, letting Noctis to pick small cakes and snacks on a plate for her. Everything was small, meant to be eaten in one or two bites. They stood by a tall table. Noctis was sipping his wine, watching Evelia's face go through a wide range of emotions as she tried out the finest delicacies on Eos.

"This is amazing," Evelia remarked, nibbling eagerly at a chocolatey cupcake, topped with something cream-like.

"You want another?" Noctis asked.

Evelia nodded as her mouth was still full of the cake.

Noctis brought one for her and one for himself. He waited for Evelia to take a bite of hers, before trying out his. Suddenly Evelia began giggling.

"Sorry, you have something–, um, let me just…" Evelia lifted her finger to wipe some cream from the corner of Noctis's mouth, making him tense up at the touch.

"There," Evelia said and without thinking of good manners, dipped the finger in her mouth.

Noctis's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Blood roared in his ears.

Evelia realized what she had done in front of the King of Lucis and turned coyly away to hide her embarrassed blush.

"I'm sorry! Please excuse my manners," she cooed and fluttered her lashes, trying to keep her smile from going overboard.

"It's alright," Noctis calmed, reverting from his tense up with a hard swallow. He had to blink a few times to shake the rather sultry image of Evelia tasting the cream from his mind.

"The orchestra will continue soon, yes?" Evelia changed the subject to shake off her embarrassment.

"Yes, but we can talk here. Uh, if you want, that is," Noctis said.

Evelia looked at him in the eye in astonishment. Shouldn't the King actually take part in his own festivities, or at least look like it? They were alone in the box where no-one could see them.

"Of course you can go to see the stage if you wish, I'm–" Noctis hurried to babble.

"No no, I'd rather talk," Evelia managed to say and even smile, "Actually there was something I wanted to talk to you about…"

Evelia's fingers travelled to fiddle with the necklace resting on her chest as her voice trailed off.

Noctis had naturally noticed it as soon as Evelia had entered the room and taken his breath away. The dim lights reflected from the flower's petals, creating small rainbows on Evelia's skin. The sight was endearing and somewhere in the back of his head, the thought of what kind of a ring Evelia would like to use crossed Noctis's mind.

"Thank you for this," Evelia said releasing her hold of the piece of jewelry.

"You're welcome," Noctis said and hesitated before continuing, "Did you see the ice melt?"

An excited light lit up in Evelia's eyes. "Oh, yes I did! It was marvelous."

Her excitement made Noctis smile. "I'm glad to hear it," he said.

"It was as if a rainbow had entered my room to paint the walls," Evelia chimed.

"I would gladly show it for you here again, but I'm afraid the lights would attract some attention," Noctis said.

"What do you mean? I thought the ice melted only in sunlight," Evelia said.

Noctis's smile curled into a mix of smugness and childish excitement.

"Like this."

He lifted his closed fist between them in the air and opened his fingers slowly one by one. From beneath them, a bright white light peeked. He stopped after two fingers to contain the brightness.

Evelia's breath was taken away and she gasped with wide eyes. Her awe only seemed to make Noctis's smile broaden.

Evelia slowly moved her trembling hand on top of Noctis's in the air.

"C-can I touch it?" she asked with a sharp inhale. The light felt warm as if it truly came from the sun. It was common knowledge that the line of Lucis held magic in their veins and only a few people on Eos could borrow that power from the current king. Even in King Regis's days magic in use had been rarely seen by the common folk, despite the Wall surrounding Insomnia.

Noctis nodded and tried his best to focus on keeping the light small and stable.

Evelia stared in wonder when her fingers lightly brushed against his palm. The warm flush that travelled through their bodies had nothing to do with magic.

Noctis searched the delighted expression in Evelia's eyes as she felt the light emanating from his hand. Noctis wondered had she carried the same expression in the moment when the dawn had arrived for the first time in ten years.

"How do you do it?" Evelia asked almost whispering. She was endlessly fascinated by the magic, flowing her fingers through it and tilting her head to see it from different angles.

"I couldn't explain it even if I tried," Noctis replied smiling.

Evelia pulled her hand away, suddenly at dismay for the rules of propriety that she had crossed in her eagerness. Another wave of blush rose to her cheeks as she pulled back. She had not even realized that she had been leaning towards Noctis.

"You _could_ talk to Ignis about it, if you like."

Before Evelia could reply to Noctis, a bell rang, signaling that the performance would continue soon.

They looked at each other as Noctis diminished the light and pulled his hand back.

"Uh, I should eat what I have on my plate. It's rude to leave food go into waste," Evelia babbled from top of her head.

Noctis chuckled and nodded. He walked to the buffet table to pour more drinks for them.

The orchestra began playing a soft piano tune to which the other instruments gradually joined. Noctis gazed in Evelia's eyes dreamily as she was slowly chewing on the last cake piece on her plate.

"It is a beautiful piece," Evelia commented after a moment when mouth was empty.

"It is," Noctis replied, never averting his eyes from her face. "Would you like to dance?" he blurted without thinking first.

Evelia's brows shot up in surprise. "Uh, I would, but this dress–" she gestured towards her gown hem.

"Oh, right. I apologize," Noctis said as his eyes glided down her form. The sight more than made up for the lack of dancing for that evening. He wondered from where on Eos Evelia had found such an amazing gown, made of the smoothest and most vibrant of fabrics. The shade of deep turquoise seemed to glow in the dim lighting, making an almost indistinct halo surround her.

Hours flew by alarmingly fast by talking, and occasionally actually following the music performance. They were not disturbed even once. As immersed in each other as they were, Evelia still remembered to ask the time several times as there was no clock in the room.

"It is only 23:37. Is something the matter?" Noctis answered in Evelia's question.

"It is time for me to take my leave then, I believe," Evelia said dismayed.

"Oh, already? Please there is no rush," Noctis said, frantically thinking about what to say to make her stay for a moment longer with him.

"No, but I really have to go now." Evelia's tone was slightly nervous. She didn't want to disappoint Noctis with her having to make up a sorry excuse.

Noctis studied her expression for a moment. "Very well then."

"I had the most wonderful time, Noctis," Evelia said. A soft smile was gracing her lips which made his heart beat faster.

"The pleasure was all mine, Evelia," Noctis replied, "You will come tomorrow, yes?" There was a sense of urgency in his voice, desperation even.

"I would love to."

Noctis let out a relieved huff. "I'm glad to hear it. I can't wait to bore you with my speech."

Evelia giggled. "I'm sure it will be most enchanting. Have a good night, Noctis."

"Good night, Evelia."


	4. The Third Night

Evelia was making pancakes in the kitchen for a Sunday brunch, when Anastasia and Drisella stumbled into the room. Their hairs were all messed up from sleep and badly removed makeup was running from their eyes. When they noticed Evelia, they giggled and traded meaningful looks. Evelia tried to focus on the job at hand – Pouring batter on the skillet.

"Good morning," she greeted her stepsisters politely.

"It was such a lovely evening yesterday!" Anastasia began as they sat down at the table; as usual, waiting for Evelia to serve them.

"Too bad you could not attend, sister," Drisella said in a fake apologizing tone.

"Oh, you should have seen the grand ballroom! It was transformed into a magnificent theater!" Anastasia said in an overly excited tone, trying to taunt Evelia into asking more about the evening.

"Really?" Evelia said trying to feign interest. She turned the pancake over on the skillet.

"And the King!" Drisella said, prompting a cocked eyebrow to the stove from Evelia, "He is so pleasant! Oh, I wish we could have talked more, but he had to attend to other guests as well; wouldn't fair for him to pick favorites."

"And he is _so_ handsome too! I'm sure he will ask us to dance tonight," Anastasia chirped excited. They already seemed as if they had forgotten their half-sister's presence at the room.

Evelia kept her face as blank as she could. Yes, it wasn't fair of the King to spend most of the ball evening with just one of his guests. But in good conscience, Evelia could not complain. She had had a lovely evening, as Anastasia had put it.

The music had been wonderful, the food heavenly delicious and the company most charming. Talking with Noctis was easy and Evelia felt so comfortable in his company. She did not wish to spoil her dream come true with morbid thoughts of the future.

"Evelia, pass me the jam," Drisella said in a commanding tone, waking Evelia from her daydreams.

Evelia grabbed the jam from the cupboard, not realizing the jar was not closed properly. As she turned with it, she almost tripped on her feet, making the jar fly in the air and hit the kitchen counter edge. All of its contents flew in red arc, landing on the floor, cupboard doors and Evelia's face and clothes.

Anastasia and Drisella howled from laughter.

"Cinderelia is at it again!"

"Is it a new trend to make your clothes look stained?"

Evelia stared at the chaos around her and slowly wiped the jam on her cheek with her palm, making it smear even more on her skin. It tasted sweet on her lips, a small solace in the situation. How could someone like her even dream of Noctis? Everything she touched only became ruined.

"What is happening here– Evelia!" Their mother walked into the room, hands horrified on her mouth as she saw the mess in the kitchen.

"You clumsy girl! Clean this up immediately before the berries stain anything," she commanded laying her hands on her hips.

Evelia swallowed her heavy feelings. "Yes, mother," she said in a tiny voice and blinking her glazed eyes.

She took the rag at the sink and began swiping the sticky jam from the floor. Anastasia and Drisella were snickering and eating their pancakes cheerfully. Nothing could have made the start of their day better.

It took Evelia the better half of an hour to have the kitchen clean again. Her back was aching from the bending and her hands felt soggy and wrinkled from rinsing the rag. She was eager to get into the shower to wash herself too. The jam had begun drying up on her skin in sticky clumps.

Evelia dragged her feet from the kitchen, passing by the living room and catching her stepmother's attention.

"Where do you think you're going, Evelia? Is the kitchen clean yet?" she asked and wrinkled her nose at Evelia's appearance.

"Shower, mother, and yes," Evelia replied, motioning towards her dirty face and clothing.

"Wait until your sisters have showered first. You wouldn't want them to go to the Citadel tonight without washing their hairs, would you?" Evelia's dirty outlook seemed to amuse her stepmother.

Evelia let out a small sigh. "Of course not, mother. I'll wait in my room for my turn then." She turned to leave and her stepmother shot a catty look after her.

The water boiler was empty by the time it was Evelia's turn to go wash up, so only cold water ran from the pipes. She showered as quickly as she could with as little as possible standing under the freezing water.

Miserable from the cold shower, Evelia went back to her room, biting her lip ruefully and shivering slightly. Hopefully she wouldn't catch a cold.

As hours passed by towards the evening, Evelia's heart was beating faster and louder. Her thoughts became again occupied with images of Noctis. What would he say when they met for the third time? Would they dance? Evelia had heard that the last ball evening would be again filled with dancing and apparently some speeches as the King had not yet given one.

Evelia's thoughts also trailed towards the meeting with Gentiana. What kind of dress would she conjure for her today? It would probably be something very beautiful and outstanding as it was the last evening.

Evelia was spinning around and dancing in front of the mirror, when her stepmother stopped by the door to inform her that they were leaving now.

"Have a nice evening," Evelia said suspiciously brightly, but there was no time for her stepmother to stay to inquire why she was in such a good mood. Considering the day's events, Evelia should have been feeling irrevocably down. Her positivity was irritating and the light smile on her face made her stepmother sneer.

As soon as the front door shut behind Drisella, Anastasia and their mother, Evelia leaped down the stairs two at a time and hurried to the garden.

Gentiana stood there, under the maple tree, waiting for Evelia with a smile on her lips.

"Good evening, Evelia," she greeted graciously.

"Good evening, Gentiana," Evelia said a tad out of breath from the excitement.

"Are you ready?" Gentiana asked pacing slowly forward.

Evelia nodded, watching enchanted as Gentiana's hands danced in the air, forming swirls and circles. The familiar blue glow gained some violet hues as it twirled around Evelia's body. A hem grew out from her waist, widely sliding downwards and settling at a width that was over twice broader than her shoulders.

The neckline of Evelia's shirt lowered and widened over her shoulders. Small pieces of shining gems sprouted to embed her waistline where the hem met the corset-like top. The evening gown was even more stunning and elegant than the two previous ones. It was a gorgeous light shade of lilac.

Evelia's hair rolled on a graceful, braided bun and it became littered with small gems. Her shoes looked like basic high heels, but they were actually somewhat transparent and made of _glass_.

"Oh, it is beautiful!" Evelia sighed as she took a spin in front of Gentiana.

Gentiana only smiled and tilted her head on the side, looking very pleased with the handiwork.

"You have given me so much, I don't know how to thank you," Evelia said stopping.

"There's no need for thanks. Go now, His Majesty is anxiously waiting for you."

Evelia's heart flipped at her words. She wanted to ask how Gentiana would know something like that, but decided to follow her advice instead and hastily leave for the Citadel.

Once again, Evelia arrived barely in time to see the beginning of the ball. Since it was the third and last night of the celebrations, the King was preparing to deliver a speech. The grand ballroom was once again mostly open space for people to mingle and dance, but there was a small platform at the end of the room that was exquisitely decorated.

Evelia walked into the ballroom, almost holding her breath. She looked around, not caring about the awed and curious looks she was already gaining due to her attire.

The decorations were once again in tones of the dawn in much contrast to the usual Lucian royal colors of black and silver. There were huge flower installations and golden vines snaked on the walls. Evelia wondered whether they had been done by magic. Surely there was nothing like that bright auric tone in natural plants.

People were happily mingling, already having met their new acquaintances from the nights before. Evelia felt a slight sting of regret – She had not really made any new friends. She had danced with some men on the first evening, but had not talked to them after that. Of course, that was because the King of Lucis had laid his eyes on her.

Nevertheless, Evelia had enjoyed herself on the ball and spending time with Noctis was surely a privilege. Even still, she knew she would weep afterwards as her princess experience would come to a permanent end. But now was not the time to think about that.

King Noctis walked over to the elevated platform. He waited for the chattering to quiet down.

"My dear Lucians," he began with a steady, poised voice," Thank you for coming tonight."

Evelia paced slowly closer. All eyes were on the King now.

"The annual celebration of the Dawn break… was not my idea," a smile tugged at the corners of Noctis's lips and some laughing followed from the audience, "But seeing all of you here tonight, it makes my heart burst with joy. First, I'd like to thank my friends–, no, _my brothers_. I wouldn't be standing here without them."

The audience was all quiet. Everyone knew about the three brave individuals who had stood beside the King on his journey to save Lucis.

" _Thank you_ ," Noctis said, his eyes piercing to where Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto were standing. The three of them nodded. Prompto grinned and made Noctis smile in turn. He was thankful for the pre-warning he had gotten, because even with it, Prompto felt the emotions welling up in his eyes. Gladiolus shot an amused look at him.

The audience began applauding, with a few people carefully at first, but in no time the whole room joined in. Evelia was sure she saw Prompto wiping tears from his cheeks and Gladiolus patting his shoulder comfortingly.

Noctis had to swallow before continuing his speech.

"A King is nothing without his people." He let his eyes wander around the room. "It was all of _you_ who made this happen, my dear Lucians. I salute you, not as your King, but as a humble man, who owes everything to you," Noctis said and tilted his head in bow, "Thank you."

Again, applauding filled the room. People exchanged whispers. From what Evelia could hear, most of them were of impressed on behalf of the young King. She felt a kind of pride filling her. She was incredibly lucky having met him. Noctis was so kind and gentle soul. Lucis could not hope for a better king.

"The celebration of the Dawn break is for the people who loved everything and had nothing – Nothing, but their courage. Tonight is for you. Enjoy the ball and let us continue rebuilding Insomnia together."

Noctis ended his speech with another short bow and exited the platform, escorted with applauds. After a short moment, excited chatter filled the ballroom once again and the orchestra began climbing on the stage behind the podium.

Evelia looked around to find even one familiar face, but she could not go far before someone already asked her to dance – One dance, then another and one more with another partner. Songs were going swiftly by on the dancefloor. Evelia was having fun, but her heart ached to meet Noctis, who was stuck with talking to the guests.

Noctis kept glancing at Evelia gliding and spinning around on the dance floor. Ignis had to more than once clear his throat or cough to remind him of the ongoing conversation. Evelia looked mesmerizing in her lilac dress. No other woman in the room could even be compared to her in Noctis's mind.

As soon as the ambassador from Accordo turned to leave, Noctis was quick to excuse himself and make a beeline to Evelia. She was in the middle of a song with her third partner for the night already. The man yanked back from her in surprise of the King appearing and bowed deeply.

Evelia was going to open her mouth to say something in confusion, but then she heard Noctis's soft voice.

"Mind if I steal her away?" he asked. His hand landed lightly on Evelia's waist, making a pleasant shiver travel through her spine. The simple gesture felt so possessive, it made her heart kick wildly in an instant.

"N-not at all, Your Majesty," the man stumbled backwards and left after bowing again.

Noctis took Evelia's hand and let the other one already on her waist to circle on her side.

"Good evening," Noctis said, his eyes fixated on Evelia's. He could hardly contain his brimming smile.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," Evelia said having equally hard time not to let her smile slip into a silly simper.

"Please–"

"Ah, apologies, _Noctis_ ," she corrected with a glint in her eyes.

"How has your evening been?" Noctis asked and spun Evelia carefully around to the music, then he brought her back closer to his chest than she had been earlier.

"Oh, pleasant. Your speech was inspiring," Evelia said, barely keeping her voice from hitching in her throat because of the newly found proximity.

"Thank you. Ignis thought it was quite short." Noctis let out a quiet chuckle. His eyes were fixated on Evelia's, guzzling on her beauty.

Evelia giggled. "He keeps you in strict check."

"That he does. Or at least tries," Noctis said.

"How do you like my shoes?" Evelia asked, removing her hand from Noctis's shoulder to slightly lift her dress hem to show the incredible heels she was wearing.

"Are they made of… _glass_?" Noctis asked incredulously. He indeed had not seen shoes like that before and Evelia's slightly silly actions made him laugh.

"I think so," Evelia said sheepishly.

"They're beautiful. Where can you get shoes made of glass?" Noctis asked genuinely curious.

"They were a gift," Evelia confessed.

The gift's peculiarity crossed Noctis's mind, but he let the thought die down. He only wanted to focus on etching Evelia's features to his memory. The shade of lilac from her gown made her skin glow. The small gems in her hair were twinkling under the crystal chandelier's soft light, but they did not come even close to competing with the captivating brightness of her eyes.

Still, Ignis's words echoed in Noctis's ears.

 _"_ _You would do well to try to meet some potential brides, Noct."_

What if he had already met? Not some, but _someone_. Noctis looked in Evelia's eyes, so intensely that she blushed and had to avert her gaze.

"You are beautiful," Noctis husked.

The light blush spread further on Evelia's face. "Thank you," she replied quietly, still not looking at the pair of enchanting blue eyes on her. "Could we go have some drinks, please? It's really warm in here."

"Of course," Noctis said. He let his hand holding Evelia's drop, but didn't release his touch on her waist. He guided her gently away from the dance floor. Heads turned as they made their way forward and heated whispering followed them.

"He is with _her_ , isn't he?" Ignis asked from Gladiolus.

"Huh? Yeah, he is. Like glued," Gladiolus replied. He had been keeping an eye on Noctis and Evelia dancing.

Ignis let out a thoughtful sigh. "Maybe it's time I tried out the renovated dance floor."

Gladiolus's brows shot up at him. "With who?" he asked.

"Would you mind pointing me to Noct's direction?" Ignis asked.

"Uh, sure. I'll come with you."

They walked up to the pair pouring glasses of punch for each other. Evelia was laughing sweetly at Noctis's joke as she accepted the glass. The punch was surprisingly sweet and fruity, and Noctis told Evelia it was made of Leidean oranges.

"He has an incurable sweet tooth," Ignis said, making the pair turn and leave their own little bubble where they had been immersed in.

"Good evening Your Majesty, My Lady," Ignis greeted them with bows and Gladio followed suit.

"Evelia, this is Gladiolus Amicitia, my Shield," Noctis presented.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Evelia chided and curtsied. Of course, she recognized Gladiolus from the café few days ago. A wave of anxiousness washed over her. What if he would recognize her? Would he tell Noctis that they had actually seen her in the café? How would the King react?

"The pleasure is all mine," Gladiolus said with a smile.

"How has your evening been?" Ignis asked Evelia politely.

Evelia glanced at Noctis, feeling his gaze on her. "Oh, it has been wonderful, thank you. I'm so thrilled to dance again in this grand room. And as I understand, we have you to thank for most of the arrangements."

"Just doing my duty," Ignis said smiling, "Speaking of dancing, would you care to join me for a song or two? Of course, afterwards you have finished your drink."

Noctis's hand twitched on Evelia's waist, but he kept the smile on his face.

"I would love to."

Short moment of joyous chatting and emptied punch glasses later, Evelia took Ignis's arm and guided them towards the dance floor.

Noctis looked after them, a bit sullen. Gladiolus poked his ribs with his elbow.

"She'll be back soon. Iggy just wants to chat with her alone for a moment to see what kind of a woman she is."

"I know," Noctis mumbled and filled his punch glass again.

"Please warn me if we're about to dance into the buffet table," Ignis said with a charming smile.

"Will do," Evelia promised and giggled.

Evelia led them to the side in the dance floor, where it was less crowded. Ignis was an excellent dancer, much better than Noctis. They glided effortlessly among the other pairs, not even once brushing accidentally to anyone. If Evelia had not known Ignis could not see the other dancers, she would not have ever been able to guess that he was blind.

"You are a skillful dancer, sir," Evelia said. She was shy about looking at Ignis's face and kept her eyes over his shoulder, making sure that they didn't head towards the buffet table.

"Thank you. You dance elegantly yourself too, Miss."

Ignis's praise made a light pink blush rosy Evelia's cheeks.

"You're too kind. May I ask something?" Evelia said.

"Of course, what is it?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but how did you know it was me with His Majesty?" she said, truly curious of the answer.

Ignis chuckled and spun Evelia around before replying.

"Putting aside the fact that the King has taken quite the liking to you, your perfume is very distinguishable. Sweet, but still light and refreshing. Like a cool breeze in a field of flowers," Ignis said.

"My perfume? Oh, I see… That is really impressive, sir!" Evelia laughed.

Ignis only smiled as a response. The scent moved something in his memories. How could it be possible that he had smelled that same perfume somewhere before? It had definitely been the exact same perfume on a woman, but Ignis could not bring the face into his mind.

"May I ask what do you do in the city?" Ignis said.

Evelia's heart jumped. "Oh, I'm working to save for medical studies. I wish to become a doctor," she explained.

"Really? Then I hope you the best of luck on your efforts," Ignis replied, satisfied with the answer.

"Thank you, sir. If you don't mind me asking, what are your duties as the royal advisor?" Evelia inquired.

A thoughtful expression passed through Ignis's face. "Hm, let's see… Mostly I just make sure the King attends to his meetings and takes care of _his_ duties."

Evelia giggled softly. "Sounds like a difficult job."

"At times, yes. His Majesty can be quite good at avoiding things," Ignis replied, "He also has the tendency to fall asleep during meetings."

Evelia's eyes widened and she thought that Ignis was joking, so she laughed.

"I hope this doesn't sound impolite, but could you tell me about your family?" Ignis asked changing the subject. He was interested in knowing about Evelia's background to make sure she was being honest with the King and not feigning her interest in him.

"Of course, sir. I live with my mother and my two sisters," Evelia said, hoping to be vague enough with the information so she couldn't be recognized.

"What about your father?"

"He passed away after we moved back to Insomnia," Evelia explained. She had to blink to chase off the sudden wave of sadness.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that," Ignis said. Their dance halted for a moment as the orchestra ended the song.

"Thank you. I truly miss him, but I'm doing my best to follow in his footsteps to open my own clinic one day."

Ignis bowed and Evelia curtsied before a new song began. Ignis laid his hand back on Evelia's waist and they began spinning around. The tempo of the song was a tad faster this time, making speaking harder as they had to focus on the steps and keeping their breaths steady.

Ignis's company was absolutely pleasant and Evelia thoroughly enjoyed dancing with him. She though that he was a curious man: while he was blind, there was absolutely no question that he knew exactly where they were situated on the dance floor. It made his joke about colliding with the buffet table coming true impossible.

During their short conversation, Ignis saw absolutely no reason why Noctis would not have been completely taken in with Evelia. She was a lovely woman and Ignis's instinct was telling him that her intentions were completely pure. An air of gentleness surrounded her, making her delightful company. Even Ignis found himself drawn towards wanting to incite more of those melodious laughs to bubble from her.

Ignis's thoughts were interrupted as the song neared to its end.

"Thank you for the dance, sir," Evelia said and curtsied.

"The pleasure was all mine. Would you do me the favor of guiding me to His Majesty?" Ignis asked.

"Of course, let us go find him together."

While Ignis and Evelia danced, Noctis was doing his best to avoid in getting caught up in any other than idle pleasantries. Gladiolus followed at his heels, amused at the way Noctis was constantly stealing glances at the dance floor.

"Noct, you need to chill a bit," he said and placed his hand on the King's shoulder.

"Uh, I know," Noctis said and brushed him off. He couldn't stop himself from looking at Evelia and Ignis again.

"Someone's got it bad," Gladiolus chuckled.

Noctis glared at him quickly and turned to jovially greet the next guests wanting to have a word with him.

When Ignis and Evelia finally emerged from the dance floor, Evelia's cheeks were red and she was fanning her face while laughing at the joke Ignis had told her.

Noctis hurried to take Evelia's arm and got an upraised brow from Gladiolus in reaction.

"Why don't we go out in the balcony for a moment?" Noctis suggested, eager to be rid of his following.

"Yes, please. Some fresh air would be nice," Evelia consented. "Gentlemen," she curtsied to Ignis and Gladiolus.

Noctis led her to the same balcony they had been in on the first evening of the ball. Evelia leaned on the railing and once again admired the city lights. She would never grow bored of the magical sight. Every day more and more lights were lit in Insomnia to compete with the bright stars – It was like a sea of bright red and yellow dots, blinking intermittently.

"Will you miss them?" Noctis asked, taking in Evelia's profile under the starlight.

"What do you mean?" Evelia asked and turned to look at Noctis with widened eyes. Her hands lay on the cool railing and a light gust of wind was generously fanning her face.

Noctis smirked. "The stars. When the city is fully rebuilt, you won't be able to see them down from the streets because of the light pollution," Noctis said softly.

Evelia tilted her head to once more gaze in the sky. "I will, but I know that so many more important things will come from those new lights that outshine the stars."

Noctis stared at her. "But yet again, you outshine all the stars and lights in the city tonight."

"You're making me blush," Evelia murmured, "I'm really not that special."

"Yes, you are," Noctis lifted his hand to caress Evelia's cheek. His fingers were shaking slightly.

Evelia's mouth opened to gape at the gesture. Noctis's touch was not at all unpleasant, but the sensation on her skin was gone before she really had the chance to enjoy it.

"Besides the obvious fact that you're the most beautiful woman in the whole Insomnia tonight," Noctis began, making Evelia blush even rosier, "You're wearing shoes made of glass and a gown that puts all the visiting foreign dignitaries and rich nobles to a shame. You're kind and gentle, and I can't understand how I am so lucky that you decided to attend this ball. Even less, how you are with me right now," Noctis summed up.

"You're too kind," Evelia said and managed a nervous giggle. She had to really struggle to keep her eyes from diverting away from the King's. The enchanting sapphire blue pair had a soft look in them as they regarded her. "I am truly the lucky one here. I would have never even hoped to meet you, much less spend time with you like this."

"We could probably debate about this endlessly," Noctis said with a low chuckle.

"Yes, we could, but that doesn't make your company any less desired," Evelia confessed.

"Very well then, let's talk about something else. Please tell me more about yourself," Noctis asked.

Eve was taken aback by the simple plea. During the course of the few evenings they had spent together, she had made sure that she shared as little as possible of herself. But now, in front of that direct question, what on Eos could she tell about herself? She worked in a café, and at home she was practically a servant girl to her step-siblings. She had nothing in her life that the King could possibly be interested in. If there was something noble about her life, maybe it was her dreams.

"You said you wanted to become a doctor?" Noctis continued, since Evelia was still wondering about what to say.

Evelia studied the King's warm expression. She let out a small sigh, hesitating to say her next words. "I wish to open my own practice in the future, after I have concluded my studies. A place where even the most poor could come to be treated."

Fortunately, Noctis decided to ask more about that subject instead of pursuing his first question.

"That is admirable. So have you made any concrete plans yet?" he said genuinely curious. It was no wonder someone like Evelia would want to use her skills to help people instead of for gaining personal wealth.

"Not really. It's only a far-away dream still," Evelia said, her moment of distress having passed by the effect of Noctis's warm smile.

"Is that so? Maybe we could talk about that in length someday," Noctis said.

Evelia smiled and stared into those sapphire blue eyes. A tender feeling was rolling inside her and it made her lips curl into a simper. The King of Insomnia had just subtly suggested meeting her again. Just to hear those words from him was more than she could have ever hoped for.

Noctis gazed back at Evelia, and his eyes fell on her lips that were curling into a sweet smile.

Oh by the Six, he wanted to kiss her. To feel that soft, warm skin against his, to make her smile and laugh, to hear all about her hopes and dreams and to have her in his arms. He wanted to make her his forever.

In that moment Noctis Lucis Caelum, King of Lucis, realized that, as Gladiolus had said, he had it bad. _Really bad._

"Your Majesty," Ignis's demanding voice pulled Noctis and Evelia away from their dreamy stares.

Noctis cleared his throat and watched Evelia snap away from her thoughts. They had been leaning towards each other unconsciously.

"The envoy from Lestallum would like to have a word with you," Ignis said.

Evelia was grateful in that moment that Ignis could not see them – All blushed and hearts racing. Her next thought was to reproach herself for even thinking that Ignis being blind was something she had the audacity to be thankful of.

"I'll meet you at the elevators in five minutes," Noctis whispered in Evelia's ear, his breath tickling her skin.

Evelia nodded, wondering what he had meant. Ignis and Noctis left the balcony, and a moment after them, she too went back to the ballroom.

After Noctis saw Evelia slip away from the party, he stopped Ignis by gently patting his arm.

"I forgot something outside. I'll be right back."

He hurried to the balcony and after making sure no-one was looking, he summoned his sword in his hand. Noctis peered up at the next floor balcony which would lead into some guest salon, if he remembered correctly.

He plunged the sword high into the air and disappeared in a blue flash and a pop that earned some curious, but late looks from the ballroom.

Ignis was impatiently tapping his foot on the floor, when Prompto walked up to him.

"Have you seen Noct? Cid is finally here and he is waiting–" Prompto saw Ignis's vexed look, "What's wrong?"

"Do me a favor and go check if His Majesty is outside on the third balcony," Ignis asked, barely restraining his voice when he could guess the answer.

Prompto came back soon. "Nope. Not over there. Why?"

Ignis let out a deep sigh. "You might need to tell Cid that he will be received at a later time by His Majesty."

After leaving the ballroom, Evelia walked curiously to the elevators. She wondered what Noctis had in mind. She was looking at the grand hall entrance to see when he would walk out of the room, but a soft chime of one of the elevators pulled her attention.

Noctis peered from the elevator and motioned for her to come inside.

Evelia's brows shot up. She took a quick look around to make sure no-one would notice and slipped inside.

Noctis stared at her, slightly out of breath. Adrenaline was rushing in his veins and he was mentally trying to calm himself down.

"H-how?" Evelia asked astonished. She had been looking at the grand hall entrance for the whole time and not seen him move past her.

"Just a bit of magic," Noctis smirked and flashed his keycard after pressing the correct button.

Evelia blinked in wonder. They exchanged a few nervous glances and giggles.

"Where are we going?" Evelia asked when the elevator stopped a moment later.

Noctis took her hand and escorted her out. "Somewhere where we can talk without being interrupted," he replied.

Before their eyes opened the magnificent Citadel garden. Evelia had to inhale sharply at the incredible sight. All kinds of flowers were blooming, their delicate scents twirling in the air. Some of them were small and grew in clusters; others were big with only that one flower blooming from the plant. Tall bushes circled around the garden, hiding it from eye-level sight. In the middle of it all was a rather wide fountain.

"It is beautiful!" Evelia breathed. In her eagerness to explore the garden, she hurried ahead, stopping to smell a few tall flowers.

Noctis paced after her, chuckling. Seeing her genuine joy made his heart tighten – How would it be like to see that smile every single day?

Evelia turned to look at Noctis. He was going to tell her again how beautiful she looked and how she left all the flowers blooming in the garden in her shade, but the words hitched in his throat. She looked captivating, magical and Noctis was really irrevocably enamored with her.

Evelia walked back to him and put her arm around his. They began pacing slowly forward with no rush to anywhere.

"Please tell me a story from your journeys," Evelia asked.

"Hm? I'm sure there are other topics you'd rather talk about," Noctis said after clearing his throat.

"What kind of monsters did you have to fight?" Evelia was not discouraged. A light of excitement lit up in her eyes and her grip on Noctis's arm tightened as they strode onward.

Noctis sighed and a smile played on his lips.

"Very well then… Let me think," he said.

There were so many stories Noctis could have told Evelia from their journey. The beginning of their journey was a story in itself since their car had broken down practically immediately they had stepped outside Insomnia. He wanted to tell about all those times Ignis had concocted a new recipe in the middle of a heated battle, or when Prompto had wanted to stop the car to take a photograph of something.

They had fought so many kinds of monsters and daemons on their journey, that Noctis could probably not even remember all of them anymore had he tried. There was the time they had freed the Chocobo Post in Duscae from a huge behemoth threatening the chocobos. Noctis wanted to tell Evelia how they had been granted access to the chocobo races after that, and how he had easily won his companions, even though Ignis had been surprisingly good at riding the huge, yellow birds.

Thinking about all those memories made Noctis stare quietly into the distance.

"I apologize, I shouldn't have made you–" Evelia began nervously, when he had not said anything after a full minute.

"No, it's quite alright. Would you like to hear about the time we went on a hunt for a huge, monstrous bird called the Bennu?"

"Oh, yes please!" Evelia listened to Noctis's words intently. His voice was mellow and his tone soft. The pleasant memories showed as a brimming smile on his face and his expressions were more animated than Evelia had seen before as he kept telling the story.

"Then it finally took off from the ground, so I had to go after it."

"You can _fly_?" Evelia gasped.

Noctis laughed at her reaction. "Not really fly _fly_ , but it's a part of the magic that goes down in the Lucis Caelum line."

Evelia stared at him in awe. "I would love to hear more about your magic," she murmured softly.

"I could tell you some other time," Noctis said smirking.

Evelia nodded eagerly, but her heart sank a bit. This was already the second time that Noctis had suggested that they could meet again after the celebrations were over. How could he possibly have any other intention than being kind to her? Maybe he even hoped that Evelia wouldn't ever take the chance? She was just lowly café worker after all. She could never have a life with _the King_. The thought of having to watch him falling in love with someone of noble birth or get married was devastating. Spending more time with him would only work to make Evelia more miserable later, when they would eventually have to part.

She had only this moment – This one last evening of playing the princess before returning to her everyday life. Evelia decided she would do everything in her power to make her dream of becoming a doctor come true. That would require a lot of effort. Maybe working two jobs and hiding her income from her greedy step-family. She could do it.

Then maybe, just maybe, she would feel worthy enough to approach Noctis again.

They sat down on the edge of the quietly purling fountain. Evelia smoothed the wrinkles on her dress hem and turned her head to look at Noctis. He wore a gentle and genuine smile as he regarded her quietly. Hesitantly, he raised his slightly trembling hand to cup Evelia's face.

"I could stare at you all night," Noctis breathed and stroked her jawline with his fingers. An endearing shade of light pink flushed her cheeks.

Evelia let her eyes fall down. She leaned her head lightly against Noctis's touch. His fingers descended to tilt her face up by her chin. He shifted, moving closer to Evelia.

She could barely breathe. Her fingers found Noctis's hand resting on the marble surface, shyly intertwining them together. He leaned in closer so slowly that Evelia would have ample time to withdraw if she found his advances unwanted. Their eyes searched each other in timid longing.

Noctis's scent filled Evelia's head as his breath tingled on her skin. She was frozen still, waiting to feel the touch on her lips. She closed her eyes.

Evelia winced at the sound of series of blasts, and Noctis yanked back, his gaze shooting towards the sky where bright red and yellow flares made the stars seem pale.

"It's the fireworks," he said and let out a breathy chuckle. What a timing.

Evelia inhaled sharply. The fireworks were supposed to start at midnight. She had to leave immediately! She pulled her hand from Noctis's and stood up.

"I'm sorry, I need to go!" Evelia uttered in despair and dashed towards the elevator. Noctis didn't have time to react with words at her sudden actions. It took him three confused seconds too long to jump up and hurry after her.

The elevator they had arrived by was still in the floor and Evelia slipped in it, repeatedly pressing the button to close the doors before the King would follow her. Noctis was left to bash the elevator call button in disbelief and worry for what had come over Evelia.

Evelia ran across the entrance hall and stumbled at the top of the stairs. She kicked the glass shoes off her feet, so she wouldn't trip or stumble anymore.

It was over now for her part. She could only wait for the reality of Monday morning to hit her. Maybe she could sometime catch a glimpse of the King to admire him from afar.

By the time Noctis squeezed through the barely open elevator doors and warped through the hall, Evelia was already gone. He jogged the stairs down, trying to see where she had disappeared.

"Is everything in order, Your Majesty?" one of the guards at the root of the stairs asked.

"Did you see where the woman went who left the Citadel just now?" Noctis asked still looking to every possible direction.

"A woman?" the guard asked astounded.

"Yes, wearing a lilac dress."

"Apologies, Your Majesty. None of tonight's guests have passed through here."

Noctis plodded the stairs back up, disappointed. Then he noticed the glass shoe resting on the stone surface. He hurried to pick it up.

"This is Evelia's," he murmured to himself. He kept the shoe tightly in his hand and went back inside to find his advisor.

"Ignis, I need to find one of the guests," Noctis said resolutely.

"Oh, who did you lose?" Gladiolus asked as he happened to be talking with Ignis when the King arrived.

"Evelia."

"Already? You owe me money, Ignis," Gladiolus said chuckling, "You're hopeless, Noct."

Noctis wrinkled his nose annoyed. "She just… left." A wave of sadness and despair washed over him. Had he really done something wrong? Had he misread so badly her signals and scared her off with his unwanted advances?

"And did you do something to scare her away?" Ignis asked cocking an eyebrow.

Noctis blushed. "Never mind that. I need to find her."

"Well, that should be easy as the Council Secretary's office has the addresses of all guests. What's her last name?" Ignis asked.

"Uh…"

"You didn't ask her name?!" Gladiolus howled.

"How was I supposed to know she would slip away from me just when we… were about to–, uh, nothing," Noctis's voice trailed off into an uncomprehend mumbling and he blushed furiously. Gladiolus laughed and Ignis let out an exasperated sigh.

"Very well, Your Majesty. We'll find her, though it might take some time to go through the whole guest list."

"What's that you got there? Is it a shoe?" Gladiolus asked nodding towards Evelia's heel in Noctis's hand.

"Yeah, it's hers. She dropped it," he explained.

"She dropped her shoe running away from you? And didn't even bother to return to pick it up? This is hilarious," Gladiolus was laughing with tears of joy rolling down on his cheeks.

"Shut up, Gladio," Noctis muttered.

"You know, now that I think of it, she did look familiar," Gladiolus said slowly, rubbing his chin after calming down.

Noctis's brows shot up. "From where?"

"Uh, you remember the café we went to the other day? She looked just like the clerk who served us there."

Noctis stared at the glass shoe with a blank face. Could it really be? Now that he thought about it, there had been _something_ familiar about Evelia, but since he met dozens of new people every week, or sometimes even in a day, he had paid no mind to the feeling. Maybe he should have.

He would definitely need to visit that café again.


	5. The Search

So, this is the last and final chapter. Thank you for everyone, who has read this story. Hopefully you have enjoyed it. I really loved writing this and the kind comments concerning this fic have made my day on multiple occasions.

P.S. I've been thinking about writing a sequel to Cinderelia... ;)

* * *

The Monday morning graced Insomnia with its warm rays of light. After a poorly slept night, King Noctis dressed in an inconspicuous pair of hoodie and jeans. He headed out with the intention of visiting the café where Evelia worked. He knew it was a very slim chance that she would be on shift at the moment, but it was the easiest place to begin. With any luck, Noctis would actually be able to conclude the search there.

The café wasn't open yet when he arrived. He peeked inside through the glass door, trying to distinguish Evelia's form behind the counter. There was someone, so with a trembling hand and a heavy heart he knocked on the locked door.

Caitlin raised her gaze from the cups she had been setting on their place. A dark figure waved behind the door. She glanced at the time; it was still five minutes until the opening time, but since there was someone so caffeine deprived already knocking, she decided to make an exception.

"Good morning," Caitlin said as she opened the door for Noctis. She didn't give two glances at him before walking back to behind the counter.

"What can I get for you?" she asked with her working-smile plastered on her face.

Noctis lowered his hood and Caitlin's jaw dropped. She bowed hastily. "Y-Your Majesty!"

"Please, none of that. I don't wish to be recognized," Noctis shushed with a finger on his lips.

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry! How can I help you?" Caitlin said a tad embarrassed. Her eyes travelled curiously over the King, taking in his good looks.

"You're Evelia's colleague, right?" Noctis asked desperately.

"Yeah, but she called in sick this morning. She won't be in for the whole week," Caitlin said apologetically. She was itching to ask what this was about and why would the King of Lucis ask after her co-worker.

"Damn it," Noctis hissed quietly. So much for that good luck. A week was too much to wait to catch Evelia at work. "Uh, this might sound strange, but what is her last name?"

Caitlin's eyebrows rose up and she folded her arms on her chest. "Orelia? May I ask why are you asking _me_ this?"

Noctis studied Caitlin's face deep in his thoughts. Caitlin was still cocking a questioning eyebrow at him. "Maybe she'll tell you someday. You wouldn't happen to know her address?" Noctis said finally.

"No, sorry. I _could_ find it from the office, but the manager is away for the week and she forgot to leave the keys. The door is locked. It's just me here, all week by myself," Caitlin said apologizing, but with a bitter undertone.

"Of course. I'm sorry, that must be troublesome. I don't wish to add to your difficulties," Noctis said with a sigh.

"Don't worry about it. But, I know Evelia came to work by the second west subway-line if that helps."

"I suppose it might. I'm sorry to having bothered you with this. Thank you, uh"–Noctis's eyes darted on the nameplate on Caitlin's chest–"Caitlin."

"No bother at all. You're welcome, Your Majesty."

Noctis was back at the Citadel so fast that he might as well have unconsciously warped the whole way. He slammed the doors open into the Council Secretary's office and made all the workers startle and turn in surprise.

Office workers bowed as he rushed past them to speak with the Council's main secretary. Noctis gave instructions to find Evelia and offered all the information he had on her. He hesitated a moment before mentioning the unique glass shoe, but it only prompted a raised eyebrow from the secretary as he made notes hastily.

Then it was time for him to play the waiting game. He paced around in his quarters, eyes darting to the door at every sound of steps in the hallway. He had sent everyone, including his Shield away. He couldn't concentrate on anything at hand. The image of Evelia was spinning through his head; he could almost feel her touch on his hand, smell her perfume and see how her lips curled into a sweet smile. His heart ached.

Fortunately it didn't take long until Ignis came to deliver the bad news.

"What do you mean there's no-one by the name of Orelia in the guest list?" Noctis asked shooting up from his work chair.

"What I'm saying is that maybe she doesn't share her last name with her family. The invitations were sent on family basis," Ignis said with a voice that spoke volumes about how he was getting tired of this charade.

Noctis frowned. "But that could mean–"

"That she is actually married, yes, or has been. It also means we have really no other way to track her down than to visit all the families in the West side of Insomnia. For starters."

"Let's do it," Noctis said with a stern look.

Ignis paused for a moment.

"Are you that taken with her?" he chimed carefully. He was holding back a fond smile. It was about time the King would become enthusiastic about a lady, though the object of his affections was making them go through some extra effort.

"I guess I am," Noctis said and a blush creeped to redden his ears.

Ignis sighed. "Very well then, I shall do everything I can. I will arrange for a search party–"

"Wait, I want to be there," Noctis said walking up to him.

"If that is what Your Majesty wishes. Though it will require more time that way," Ignis said slowly.

"I don't care. I want to make sure we find her, and I'm probably the only one who will recognize her," Noctis said thinking about Evelia behind the café counter. Of course he had then noticed her beauty, but hadn't thought much about it. He had been too occupied with the upcoming ball to even think about ladies in that moment.

"Very well. I shall call Gladio and Prompto to meet us at the garage."

A minute later, Noctis tapped his foot anxiously on the elevator floor. What if they wouldn't be able to find Evelia? What if she had left the city for some reason? No, that made no sense at all. But, what if she didn't want anything to do with Noctis? Maybe he indeed had misread the whole situation and his advances had been unwanted.

Noctis felt the pinch of desperation in his chest. In any case, he had to try at least, or he would never be able to stop thinking about her. If Evelia never wanted to see him again, he wanted to hear it straight from her. It would break his heart, but it would be better that way.

"Is everything alright?" Ignis asked, sensing his distress.

"Yes, I was just thinking where we should start the search," Noctis lied. He was not alright before he could lay his eyes on Evelia again. He held the address list of all the families invited to the party in his hand. They would just have to go through them all, starting with the ones living in the west-side of Insomnia. There were over five-hundred names in the list.

"I can't believe you missed old Cid's visit," Prompto whined as he and Gladiolus walked up to Noctis and Ignis.

"Well, you can call him and tell him that he is invited to the wedding," Noctis said.

Ignis cleared his throat; Gladiolus leaned his hand off the car hood and almost fell. Prompto let out a long whistle.

Gladiolus and Prompto stared at their friend in unexpected awe and Ignis turned his head to his general direction.

"Wow, you're really serious about her," Gladiolus said with admiration in his voice.

"Whew, dude. Though I must say those longing gazes between you two were making my teeth hurt," Prompto said.

"A younger bride is a good investment into the future," Gladiolus grinned.

"Shut up, Gladio," Noctis muttered.

Not a moment later, the trio was sitting in the new Regalia while Ignis stayed behind to oversee the Citadel. The black car had been a gift from Cindy and Cid to the Crown, and Noctis still had no idea that his best friends had had part to play in rebuilding it from a scratch.

Prompto was fondly caressing the dashboard in the front passenger's seat, whereas Gladiolus was driving.

"Man, I love this car maybe even more than your dad's old one," Prompto said, but Noctis could barely hear him. He was too anxious. His heart was thumping so loudly it was blocking out all other noises like Prompto's voice.

Noctis was staring at the guest list, trying to mark down which of the names were surely dead ends and which ones lived the nearest to their location.

"Just tell me where to drive," Gladiolus said as he saw from the rearview mirror what Noctis was doing.

"Right," Noctis said and gave the first address.

Hours, many stunned ballguests and as many polite declines for coffee, tea or whatever each household offered later, Noctis was getting desperate. They had not been through even tenth of the list and nobody seemed to know who the girl in the lilac dress on the third evening had been.

Prompto was trying to cheer up his best friend. "C'mon Noct. We'll find her. She can't possibly stay away from you and your… charms."

Gladiolus snorted.

"Thanks Prompto. I feel so much better now," Noctis deadpanned.

"Who would've thought that the King of Lucis would be funny when he's lovesick?" Gladiolus said.

"So what are you gonna do when you find her? Give her that shoe back?" Prompto snickered.

Noctis glanced at the glass shoe resting on the leather seat next to him. He hadn't really thought about what to do or say, and now that Prompto had mentioned it, maybe he should have.

"He will confess his undying love for her of course," Gladiolus said.

"Maybe I will. At least I would beat you two to it," Noctis's mouth curled into a sly smile.

Gladiolus stopped the car at the next address. "Hmph. We'll see about that at this rate. Let's go."

Meanwhile, Evelia was nervously fidgeting with her stuffed moogle toy, sitting on her bed. She had called in sick at work first thing in the morning and leaving Caitlin in trouble made her only feel worse than the initial white lie on the phone. She needed the week off to find someone who would take her as an apprentice. It would be a tough break, but she was determined to succeed. Even without the support of her so-called family.

Encouraged by Noctis's words, Evelia had decided to finally grasp the nettle and tell her stepmother she wanted to study.

Naturally, she had been most surprised at the decision and attempted to laugh it off.

"You're silly, Evelia. People go to school to get smarter, so they could get a job. You already have a job so it's like skipping a step."

"I know, _mother_ , but I really want to follow in father's footsteps one day," Evelia had pleaded, trying so hard to make her understand why beginning medical studies was important to her.

Finally, her stepmother had lost a bit of her temper and snapped.

"There's something I've always wanted to tell you, Evelia. You're not very pretty or smart. People like you should be content with their place in the world, since you obviously have no chance for a better life."

At that, Evelia had left and called to work, not at all ready to give up yet. As she was contemplating on her next step, Anastasia and Drisella came knocking by her door.

"Oh, poor Evelia! We heard what mother said about your dream of becoming a doctor!" Drisella said sympathetically and sat down on the bed next to Evelia.

"That was so unfair of her to lay it out for you like that!" Anastasia continued.

Evelia blinked in surprise of the uncharacteristic kindness from her stepsisters. "Why, thank you for understanding. Maybe you could talk to her then? Please?"

Anastasia and Drisella exchanged looks. "We could, of course!"

"Yes, anything for our _dear_ sister!"

"Really? Thank you so much! I mean, it would mean a lot to me," Evelia said with a spark of hope in her voice.

"But it wouldn't change anything," Anastasia said carefully. Her too darkly painted mouth curved into a mischievous smile.

Evelia frowned at her and pulled the moogle plushie closed to her chest. "What do you mean?"

"Mother is right, naturally, you're just not smart enough to pull something like that off," Drisella explained matter of factly.

"You, becoming a doctor? Patient death statistics would spike!" Anastasia said, barely biting back her malicious giggle.

Evelia's eyes fell on the floor.

"Maybe you should set some more achievable aspirations, like getting a promotion to a manager at that café you work in."

"A manager? Her? It would go bankrupt in the matter of days!" Anastasia laughed.

"I would like to be left alone now, please," Evelia said firmly, holding back the tears welling in her eyes.

"Whatever you wish, _Cinderelia_ ," Drisella cooed and stood up from the bed. They left the room, snickering cruelly.

Evelia threw herself on the bed. She took the flower necklace from under her pillow to her palm and stared at it in longing. Her heart was aching after Noctis. She felt so silly for pining after the King of Lucis. A single tear fell on the flower, making it glow hardly noticeably, but at the same time Evelia closed her palm around it.

She cried inconsolably until her stepmother would come to yell at her because she had not left for work.

If Noctis had not been desperate earlier, he surely was now. The day was turning into evening, and still they had not the slightest clue about who Evelia was or where she lived.

Prompto and Gladiolus did their best in trying to reassure the King that matters would turn out alright, but Noctis was inches away from falling into the dark pit of regal sulking.

They were already in the neighborhood where Evelia lived, looking around, seeking out the next address on the list. Prompto was still trying to encourage Noctis with words which were already starting to fall on deaf ears.

Then Noctis felt something stirring within him. It was a sudden rush of sadness. The emotion was so strong it felt alien. He felt many things in that moment, but deep sorrow was not one of them. He straightened his posture in the back seat so quickly that Gladiolus and Prompto turned to look.

"What now?" Gladiolus asked. He knew the look on Noctis's face. He was unto something, probably something to do with magic.

"You okay there, buddy?" Prompto asked concerned.

"Stop the car," Noctis said, looking wildly around to outside. The streets were empty.

As soon as the vehicle halted, Noctis was out.

"Dude!" Prompto yelled after him, but he had already dashed towards the alien pull in his chest. Prompto and Gladiolus followed as quickly as they could.

Noctis's insides were coiling. What was the strange feeling? Could he possibly feel Evelia's presence? Even the concept was ridiculous. Besides, why would he feel so crushingly sad if she was near? Fear and excitement were building up in his stomach.

Led by his intuition, Noctis soon encountered an iron gate leading to the backyard of one of the grander houses in the area. A single maple tree was lightly shaking its branches in the wind. He was about to step in, but Gladiolus's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Noct, you can't just barge into someone's backyard," he said with a grimace.

"Right," Noctis said distantly, letting Gladiolus pull him back and lead them to the front door.

Noctis's hear was racing. The pull of magic was strong, almost urgent inside him as he stood before the wooden front door, staring at the label on it.

"Prompto, is this address on the list?" Noctis asked.

"Yeah, I think so. How did you know?" Prompto replied.

Noctis's pulse spiked higher, before he forced himself to calm down by exhaling slowly.

"You sure this is the right place?" Gladiolus asked with a frown.

Noctis nodded once and inhaled deeply.

"I-I'll go grab the shoe!" Prompto said and ran back to the car.

"You sure about this?" Gladiolus asked.

"Yeah. More sure than I've ever been about anything in my life," Noctis said breathily.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Gladiolus smirked and rang the doorbell.

They heard the soft chime echo from inside the house.

Noctis was going to protest for not having enough time to mentally prepare, but the sudden rush of footsteps from inside and a familiar-sounding "I'll get the door," made the words hitch in his throat. He gave Gladiolus a wide-eyed glance and braced himself.

Noctis saw in slow-motion as the door opened before him. In the doorframe was standing entirely dumbfound Evelia. She gasped.

"Who is it Evelia?" her stepmother asked on her way to see who the guest was.

"It's–" Evelia could only say before her stepmother let out a scream.

" _Your Majesty!_ " she gasped and pushed her away from the doorway. Evelia stood back, her eyes locked with Noctis, both pairs thoroughly stunned.

Prompto came back with the shoe, huffing out of breath. Mechanically, Noctis reached out to take it from him. "Good evening," Noctis said, his eyes quickly darting at the woman standing in front of him, trying to hide Evelia behind her.

At the combination of the doorbell and the scream, Drisella and Anastasia flew down the stairs.

"Mother, what is it–"

"Who is there–"

Both sisters stopped on their heels after bumping Evelia's sides in their rush to get past her.

"Oh, good evening, Your Majesty," their mother purred, while shooing the girls away from gawking, "What brings us this unexpected pleasure?"

Evelia had fallen back to lean on the railing of the stairs. How on Eos had Noctis found her? What was he doing here? And what was with that shoe in his hand? Evelia could not think straight and her heart was beating in her throat.

Noctis coughed to clear his throat. "I'm looking for _her_." He nodded behind the stepmother who was effectively blocking the doorway. She quickly stepped aside to offer the King a clear view at her daughters.

"Oh, what a lovely surprise! Which one of my girls you wanted to speak with?" the mother sang in excitement.

Drisella and Anastasia quickly smoothed their clothes and swiped any stray locks from their faces.

"Uh, actually, I meant her," Noctis said motioning towards Evelia, who had sat down on the second lowest stair.

Drisella, Anastasia and their mother looked at each other in confusion. " _Her_? Your Majesty must be mistaken; she is just our simple-minded servant girl. I let her live in the house, because she has no other place to go. I always try to be kind to those less fortunate, don't you agree, Your Majesty? Hmm, Your Majesty?"

Noctis had stopped listening before halfway through to her monologue and stepped inside the house. Drisella and Anastasia stepped away from his path, confused gazes still darting between their guests and their mother.

Noctis crouched before Evelia, who was staring at him at loss of words and biting her lip to keep away the tears threatening to well up.

"Hey," Noctis husked.

"Hey," Evelia managed to whisper in a dry voice.

Prompto and Gladiolus were curiously peeking inside to see what was happening. Drisella and Anastasia were being shooed away by their mother, to whom the obviously occurred events were starting to make sense. Evelia had disobeyed her and managed sneak into the ball to seduce the King somehow. There was no other reason he would've possibly wanted to see her and disregard her two lovely daughters so coldly.

"I believe this is yours," Noctis said, offering the shoe for Evelia.

She stared at it, completely stunned. She had kicked the shoes away so she could make her escape without tripping, and there the glass-made heel glinted at the King's hand. Shouldn't it have disappeared like the rest of her attire at the stroke of midnight?

Evelia tilted her face up to see Noctis's eyes and the hint of smile playing on his lips.

"I'm sorry it was such a stupid thing to do!" she yelped, "Leaving my shoes behind…"

Noctis chuckled. "No, it was not stupid at all…" his eyes seeked Evelia's in a tender gaze, "It led me back to you."

Evelia didn't say anything. With a shaky hand, she took the shoe, wondering where the other one was.

"Evelia!" her stepmother almost screamed, "Would you care to explain what is going on with our charming guests here?" The furious undertone in her voice made Evelia flinch and turn her eyes at her from Noctis.

Her stepmother's eyes bulged from restrained rage. Evelia had never seen her looking so enraged. The sight froze her blood.

Noctis turned to look at her as well and as fast as the rage had risen on the stepmother's face, it disappeared just as quickly as she got her emotions back under control. However, the inviting smile never returned and still traces of extreme irritation laced her features.

"Could we talk for a moment? Alone," Noctis said standing up. He offered his hand for Evelia, who took it a bit shakily.

"Let's go out to the garden," Evelia said, taking one final glance at her stepmother, who was glaring at her murderously.

"Just–, give a holler should you require me," she said desperately.

Anastasia and Drisella stared in disbelief when Evelia led Noctis to their backyard, still holding his hand.

They stopped under the maple tree. Noctis was chasing Evelia's gaze, but she persistently kept looking elsewhere.

"So, uh, Ignis is going to be either pissed or impressed," Noctis said awkwardly to fill the silence.

Evelia's eyes snapped into his. "Yes, he should be. You shouldn't consort with someone as lowly as me–"

"Please don't talk like that about yourself," Noctis pleaded, making Evelia fall silent. She was still holding his hand and gripping the glass heel in the other.

The light touch had made the coil of emotions unwind inside Noctis and he felt like he could finally breathe again after a long time. As he inhaled, the familiar smell of Evelia's perfume filled his nostrils.

"I, uh, I'm sorry for deceiving you," Evelia said quietly.

"You did not deceive me, someone as gentle as you couldn't possibly manage something like that."

A hint of a smile played on Evelia's lips. "Well, I'm obviously not a princess," she said gesturing towards her old t-shirt and leggings.

"I never expected you to be, Evelia, even though you dress like one," Noctis said calmly and finally got a proper smile out of her.

"Well, I had help," Evelia confessed, biting her lip.

Noctis's brows shot up. "From who?" As the question hanged in the air, he realized he already knew the answer. It was obvious now that he thought about it.

"There was a spirit, called Gentiana. She magically transformed my clothes into those beautiful gowns," Evelia explained with a trace of sadness in her voice.

"Gentiana… I see," Noctis said. His tone was so even and not at all surprised that it piqued Evelia's curiosity.

"Sounds like you're familiar with her," she said carefully.

"You could say she is… a family friend." Noctis made the mental note of summoning Shiva soon to thank her for what she had done for him – For them.

"Oh, I see. Well, maybe you could thank her for me then?" Evelia said sheepishly.

"I'll make sure you can do it yourself one day," Noctis said with a smile.

A moment of silence followed.

"So what happens now?" Evelia asked, afraid of the answer, "I mean, you found me."

Noctis inhaled before talking. He was very conscious of his pulse rising again and Evelia's insecure stare did nothing to soothe it. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her she had nothing to be afraid and that she would be alright. Noctis wanted to offer everything he possibly could for her, but realized he should hold back a bit for now, lest he might scare her away.

"Evelia, would you give me the honor of going out with you?" Noctis asked carefully. From the way Evelia's eyes studied his face, the sudden fear of her declining tightened into a lump in his chest.

There it was. The subject Evelia had been dreading for. The exact reason she had been afraid to see Noctis again.

"I'd like nothing more, but…" Evelia said, tears forming in the corners on her eyes, "I can't."

"Why not?" Noctis asked softly, searching her eyes.

"Mother would throw me out on the street and my sisters would love to see me dead if I did that," Evelia said and sniffed.

"Is that what you're concerned?" Noctis asked incredulously. He stroked Evelia's cheek and lifted her chin to see her eyes. A tear fell down on her cheek.

"We'll figure something out for you," Noctis continued and wiped the tear with his thumb.

Evelia swallowed. "No, I couldn't ask–"

Noctis shushed her to quiet. "I'll help you find a place to stay. In the meanwhile you can come live at the Citadel."

Evelia laughed at his surreal suggestion, but was at loss of words.

"Just one proper date. And I'll help you out of this place even in case you don't want to see me anymore after today," Noctis said softly, "Please." His hand still rested on her chin, tilting her head up to meet his eyes.

Evelia's heart melted. "I-if you're sure," she said in a shaky tone.

"I am, don't worry about that, Evelia."

Evelia breathed out lightly and tried to muster a thankful smile. Her body relaxed and she squeezed Noctis's hand lightly.

"May I kiss you?" Noctis asked quietly and tugged a few strands of hair behind her ear.

Evelia blushed heavily, well conscious of the possible prying eyes, and nodded.

Noctis cupped her cheek and his lips gently pushed against hers in a chaste kiss.

 **The End**


End file.
